IRSN: George Habash Remembered
28 January 2008
The comrades of the International Republican Socialist Network greet the news of the death of George Habash with sorrow and respect for the legacy of this Palestinian leader.
George Habash was born in Lydda, Palestine, but was forced to flee his homeland when the Zionist attacked in 1948. He later studied medicine at university, but his dedication to the struggle for national liberation and socialism in Palestine kept him from becoming a doctor.
Habash helped to found of the Arab Nationalist Movement in 1951, which served as the nucleus around which the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine was to later form. The PFLP was especially noteworthy as representing the Marxist current within the broader Palestinian nationalist and anti-Zionist movement. This shared commitment to the joined struggles for class and national liberation led to the Irish National Liberation Army and the PFLP sharing training facilities for a time during the 1970s. The internationalism of the PFLP was likewise demonstrated in many other such cooperative actions with revolutionary movements from around the globe.
The PFLP advocated a secular, socialist program within the Palestinian struggle against Zionist occupation, which represented the most advanced consciousness of Palestinian workers for half a century. The PFLP was to become the second largest grouping within the Palestine Liberation Organization, but remained firmly opposed to the two-nation position adopted by Fatah and negotiations with the Zionists forced upon the PLO as a whole by Fatah. Habash was an outspoken critic of Arafat's negotiations with the Zionists and a consistent defender of the Palestinian's right to carry on armed struggle. The Zionists attempted to capture Habash for decades, even once in 1973, intercepting and forcing a commercial airliner to land, because they believed he was aboard the plane.
Habash stepped down as the leader of the PFLP in 2000, by which time, sadly, the leading role of the PFLP as the most militant tendency within the Palestinian movement had been somewhat eclipsed by the rise of the Islamic militants of Hamas. However, the armed militance of Hamas lacks the vital commitment to democratic secularism and revolutionary socialism that the PFLP consistently has championed.
Abdel Raheem Mallouh, Deputy Secretary-General of the PFLP, called Habash a "distinguished leader...who struggled for more than 60 years without interuption for the rights and the interests of his people".
Hilda Habash, the widow of the PFLP leader, said as a leader within the organization: "We will all carry the banner of Habash and the Arab Nation he dearly cherished. Habash always believed Palestine would be liberated."
"He lived for his people and died for his people," she added.
Habash is said to have died, at the age of 80, in Jordan, of a heart attack. Palestinian President Abbas has called three days of national mourning for the fallen PFLP leader.
The comrades of the IRSN mourn the passing of this revolutionary leader of the Palestinian working class, who set an example for revolutionaries throughout the world. We express our sympathy with the comrades of the PFLP; their loss is our loss as well, and a loss to all revolutionaries. We also reassert our solidarity with the PFLP as the representatives of the most advanced consciousness of the revolutionary Palestinian working class.
Peter Urban
Comrade, International Republican Socialist Network
The comrades of the International Republican Socialist Network greet the news of the death of George Habash with sorrow and respect for the legacy of this Palestinian leader.
George Habash was born in Lydda, Palestine, but was forced to flee his homeland when the Zionist attacked in 1948. He later studied medicine at university, but his dedication to the struggle for national liberation and socialism in Palestine kept him from becoming a doctor.
Habash helped to found of the Arab Nationalist Movement in 1951, which served as the nucleus around which the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine was to later form. The PFLP was especially noteworthy as representing the Marxist current within the broader Palestinian nationalist and anti-Zionist movement. This shared commitment to the joined struggles for class and national liberation led to the Irish National Liberation Army and the PFLP sharing training facilities for a time during the 1970s. The internationalism of the PFLP was likewise demonstrated in many other such cooperative actions with revolutionary movements from around the globe.
The PFLP advocated a secular, socialist program within the Palestinian struggle against Zionist occupation, which represented the most advanced consciousness of Palestinian workers for half a century. The PFLP was to become the second largest grouping within the Palestine Liberation Organization, but remained firmly opposed to the two-nation position adopted by Fatah and negotiations with the Zionists forced upon the PLO as a whole by Fatah. Habash was an outspoken critic of Arafat's negotiations with the Zionists and a consistent defender of the Palestinian's right to carry on armed struggle. The Zionists attempted to capture Habash for decades, even once in 1973, intercepting and forcing a commercial airliner to land, because they believed he was aboard the plane.
Habash stepped down as the leader of the PFLP in 2000, by which time, sadly, the leading role of the PFLP as the most militant tendency within the Palestinian movement had been somewhat eclipsed by the rise of the Islamic militants of Hamas. However, the armed militance of Hamas lacks the vital commitment to democratic secularism and revolutionary socialism that the PFLP consistently has championed.
Abdel Raheem Mallouh, Deputy Secretary-General of the PFLP, called Habash a "distinguished leader...who struggled for more than 60 years without interuption for the rights and the interests of his people".
Hilda Habash, the widow of the PFLP leader, said as a leader within the organization: "We will all carry the banner of Habash and the Arab Nation he dearly cherished. Habash always believed Palestine would be liberated."
"He lived for his people and died for his people," she added.
Habash is said to have died, at the age of 80, in Jordan, of a heart attack. Palestinian President Abbas has called three days of national mourning for the fallen PFLP leader.
The comrades of the IRSN mourn the passing of this revolutionary leader of the Palestinian working class, who set an example for revolutionaries throughout the world. We express our sympathy with the comrades of the PFLP; their loss is our loss as well, and a loss to all revolutionaries. We also reassert our solidarity with the PFLP as the representatives of the most advanced consciousness of the revolutionary Palestinian working class.
Peter Urban
Comrade, International Republican Socialist Network