Communism versus Zionism: The Comintern, Yishuvism, and the Palestine Communist Party

Franzén, Johan

Abstract

This article discusses how the official communist position on the Zionist project in Palestine went from hostile condemnation in the early 1920s to wary support after World War II. In so doing, it focuses on the ideological struggle between the traditional party line and “Yishuvism,” a theory that sought to reconcile Zionist and communist ideas, as it played out in the two bodies most closely involved in shaping Comintern policy on Palestine (the Palestine Communist Party and the Communist Party of Great Britain). In following the tortured justifications for evolving positions, the author identifies the key actors shaping the debate and turning points impacting it, especially the 1936–39 Arab Revolt, Britain’s 1939 White Paper, and the wartime fight against fascism. The author contends that an important reason for the USSR’s post-war about-face on Palestine was the success of the Yishuvist ideological campaign.

Citation

Franzén, J. (2007). Communism versus Zionism: The Comintern, Yishuvism, and the Palestine Communist Party. Journal of Palestine Studies, 36(2), 6-24. https://doi.org/10.1525/jps.2007.36.2.6

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2007
• Deposit Date: Feb 5, 2008
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 17, 2019
• Journal: Journal of Palestine Studies
• Print ISSN: 0377-919X
• Electronic ISSN: 1533-8614
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 36
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 6-24
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/jps.2007.36.2.6
• Keywords: Palestine, ideology, Communism, Labour Zionism, nationalism