Movement Of Arab Nationalists
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The Arab Nationalist Movement ( ar, حركة القوميين العرب, ''Harakat al-Qawmiyyin al-Arab''), also known as the Movement of Arab Nationalists and the Harakiyyin, was a
pan-Arab Pan-Arabism ( ar, الوحدة العربية or ) is an ideology that espouses the unification of the countries of North Africa and Western Asia from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Sea, which is referred to as the Arab world. It is closely c ...
nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...
organization influential in much of the
Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...
, particularly within the Palestinian movement. It was first established in the 1950's by George Habash with the primary focus on Arab Unity.


Origins and ideology

The Arab Nationalist Movement had its origins in a student group led by George Habash at the
American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB) ( ar, الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, aut ...
which emerged in the 1950s. Because Habash thought that the reclaiming of
Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
was a community effort, the dissemination of a united
Arab identity Arab identity ( ar, الهوية العربية ) is the objective or subjective state of perceiving oneself as an Arab and as relating to being Arab. Like other cultural identities, it relies on a common culture, a traditional lineage, the com ...
was critical for collective action following the establishment of the new
State of Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
in 1948. In 1948 Habash along with other students namely, Hani al-Hindi,
Wadie Haddad Wadie Haddad ( ar, وديع حداد; 1927 – 28 March 1978), also known as Abu Hani, was a Palestinian leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine's armed wing. He was responsible for organizing several civilian airplane ...
,
Ahmad al-Khatib Ahmad Hasan al-Khatib ( ar, أحمد حسن الخطيب; 1933–1982) was a Syrian politician. He was a ceremonial head of state of Syria, appointed by Hafez al-Assad to replace the ousted president Nureddin al-Atassi. Ahmad al-Khatib was a civ ...
, Saleh Shibel, Hamed al-Juburi and others scholars united due to their similar ideologies and partook in a student political movement which later expanded into what was known as the Al-Kata'ib al-fida' al-'Arabi in 1949. The main focus was Arab unity, avenging the loss of Palestine, and anti-
colonialism Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...
toward the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
. They soon realized it was not working as they had assumed. Around 1951, they proceeded to launch a
political movement A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some t ...
instead which developed into the Arab Nationalist Movement (ANM). The ANM was influenced strongly by events that occurred in the timeframe of 1961-1973 in the
Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
, especially the break up of the
United Arab Republic The United Arab Republic (UAR; ar, الجمهورية العربية المتحدة, al-Jumhūrīyah al-'Arabīyah al-Muttaḥidah) was a sovereign state in the Middle East from 1958 until 1971. It was initially a political union between Eg ...
(UAR) in 1961, the 1967
Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...
and the
Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egy ...
. The ANM was based strongly on the influence of the Arab nationalist ideology of
Constantin Zureiq Constantin K. Zurayk ( ar, قسطنطين زريق) was a prominent and influential Syrian Arab intellectual who was one of the first to pioneer and express the importance of Arab nationalism. He stressed the urgent need to transform stagnant A ...
who was known as the father of
Arab nationalism Arab nationalism ( ar, القومية العربية, al-Qawmīya al-ʿArabīya) is a nationalist ideology that asserts the Arabs are a nation and promotes the unity of Arab people, celebrating the glories of Arab civilization, the language an ...
and advocated for
secularism Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on Secularity, secular, Naturalism (philosophy), naturalistic considerations. Secularism is most commonly defined as the Separation of church and state, separation of relig ...
. This ideology placed emphasis on the formation of a nationally conscious intellectual elite which would play a
vanguard The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. History The vanguard derives fr ...
role in a
revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
of Arab consciousness, leading to Arab unity and social progress. This
Arab nationalist Arab nationalism ( ar, القومية العربية, al-Qawmīya al-ʿArabīya) is a nationalist ideology that asserts the Arabs are a nation and promotes the unity of Arab people, celebrating the glories of Arab civilization, the language an ...
approach meant an uncompromising hostility to
Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
imperialism Imperialism is the state policy, practice, or advocacy of extending power and dominion, especially by direct territorial acquisition or by gaining political and economic control of other areas, often through employing hard power (economic and ...
in general, and
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
in particular, as the movement took a lead in the formation of
anti-Zionist Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism. Although anti-Zionism is a heterogeneous phenomenon, all its proponents agree that the creation of the modern State of Israel, and the movement to create a sovereign Jewish state in the region of Palestine ...
doctrine. Ideologically, the ANM committed to
socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
and
secularism Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on Secularity, secular, Naturalism (philosophy), naturalistic considerations. Secularism is most commonly defined as the Separation of church and state, separation of relig ...
with later on the idea of
Marxism Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...
. The ideology of socialism, however, was progressive.
Gamal Abdel Nasser Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein, . (15 January 1918 – 28 September 1970) was an Egyptian politician who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of 1952 and introduced far-re ...
was the main advocate for a socialist ideology in the ANM, where he diffused the idea of “recovering Palestine.” The Marxist ideology arose later on, as to begin there was a negative view and connotation towards this ideology stemming from the support of the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
to the
partition Partition may refer to: Computing Hardware * Disk partitioning, the division of a hard disk drive * Memory partition, a subdivision of a computer's memory, usually for use by a single job Software * Partition (database), the division of a ...
. It was only in 1951, after a few years of reading and learning about the unification movement and revolution that the ideology diffused and was implemented into the ANM. The group formed branches in various
Arab states The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western As ...
, and adopted the name Arab Nationalist Movement in 1958. Some political divergence arose within the movement. Many, especially in
Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
and
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
, became close to local
Nasserist Nasserism ( ) is an Arab nationalist and Arab socialist political ideology based on the thinking of Gamal Abdel Nasser, one of the two principal leaders of the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, and Egypt's second President. Spanning the domestic a ...
movements, and indeed turned into the main pillar of Nasserism in some parts of the
Levant The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is eq ...
. However, another faction moved towards
Marxism Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...
, including Habash and
Nayef Hawatmeh Nayef Hawatmeh ( ar, نايف حواتمة, Nāyef Ḥawātmeh, Kunya: Abu an-Nuf) is a Jordanian politician who was active in the Palestinian political life. Hawatmeh hails from a Jordanian clan and is a practicing Greek Catholic. He is the ...
, which brought them into conflict with
Gamal Abdel Nasser Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein, . (15 January 1918 – 28 September 1970) was an Egyptian politician who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of 1952 and introduced far-re ...
and increasingly led them to place a heavier emphasis on socialism than pan-Arab nationalism.R. Al-Kubaisi, Basil. “The Arab Nationalist Movememnt 1951-1971: From Pressure Group to Socialist Party.” 1972. In addition, the differing systems of government in the Arab countries forced the ANM branch organizations to adapt to local conditions, and it became increasingly difficult to find common ground. This subsequently resulted in a failure in the revolutionary process of the Arab Nationalist Movement.


Decline and disintegration

The failure was partially propelled by the defeat of
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
in the 1967
Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...
, which had led to the discrediting of Nasserism, and forced the ANM to play down its uniting, pan-Arab creed. The final blow to the ANM had come in 1967–69, after a series of conferences. Nasserism was denounced by Arab Nationalists due to failure of the Nasser revolution to aid in the unity and regain of Palestinian territory, which was the ANM’s main goals since the beginning. The failure of the ANM resulted in the creation of other parties, also created by Habash such as the
PFLP The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine ( ar, الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين, translit=al-Jabhah al-Sha`biyyah li-Taḥrīr Filasṭīn, PFLP) is a secular Palestinian Marxist–Leninist and revolutionary so ...
which later became a strong force for Palestinian liberation and Arab unity.


Bahrain

The
Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
i ANM cadres initially joined the
Popular Front for the Liberation of the Occupied Arabian Gulf The Popular Front for the Liberation of the Occupied Arabian Gulf ( ar, الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير الخليج العربي المحتل, abbreviated PFLOAG), later renamed the Popular Front for the Liberation of Oman and the Arabian ...
. In 1974 the Bahraini sector of PFLOAG was converted into the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Bahrain The Popular Front for the Liberation of Bahrain ( ar, الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير البحرين) was an underground political party in Bahrain with origins in the Arab Nationalist Movement. Its members were inclined towards the le ...
. Today the Popular Front has given birth to
National Democratic Action Society The National Democratic Labour Action Society – Wa'ad ( ar, جمعية العمل الوطني الديمقراطي – وعد) is Bahrain's largest leftist political party. History and profile It emerged from the Popular Front, a "radical" c ...
, a prominent secular opposition party in country.


Egypt

In
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
an ANM branch was formed after fifteen ANM members arrived in Cairo after being expelled from the
American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB) ( ar, الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, aut ...
in the year 1955. The influence of the ANM started being particularly important especially with the emergence of Egyptian president Nasser in the mid-1950s. His opposition to the 1955
Baghdad Pact The Middle East Treaty Organization (METO), also known as the Baghdad Pact and subsequently known as the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO), was a military alliance of the Cold War. It was formed in 24 February 1955 by Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Turk ...
, his anti-Western stance, his decision to nationalize the
Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...
and the subsequent tripartite invasion of Egypt in October 1956 made Gamal Abdel Nasser become a very popular figure in the pan-Arab movement. This pushed the ANM to shape its policy and strategy in order to merge into Nasser's Egyptian branch of the Arab Socialist Union. By the 1950s, Nasser’s self-proclaimed leadership over the Arab nationalist movement put Egypt as the Arab nation ready to unite with its fellow Arabs.
Arab nationalism Arab nationalism ( ar, القومية العربية, al-Qawmīya al-ʿArabīya) is a nationalist ideology that asserts the Arabs are a nation and promotes the unity of Arab people, celebrating the glories of Arab civilization, the language an ...
became the predominant radical, on the whole anti-Western, ideology in the country, which was by nature the most important Arab state and served as a bridge between the Western and the Arab worlds in the 1950s. Nasser played a crucial role in the spreading of nationalist ideas shared by the ANM, as he led a nationalistic attack against Western military alliances in 1955, starting to mobilize Arab public sentiment. His contribution was so influential, that when Egypt was defeated at the end of the
Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...
, the consequences on the pan-Arab sentiment were dramatic. By the time the Egyptian troops withdrew in December 1967, this debilitating war had alienated many Egyptians from the ideal of Arab nationalism, cementing an isolationist impulse not to get mired in the quicksand of Arab politics.


Iraq

Similar events led to the growth of the ANM in
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
. In the aftermath of the overthrow of
Abd al-Karim Qasim Abd al-Karim Qasim Muhammad Bakr al-Fadhli al-Zubaidi ( ar, عبد الكريم قاسم ' ) (21 November 1914 – 9 February 1963) was an Iraqi Army brigadier and nationalist who came to power when the Iraqi monarchy was overthrown ...
in 1963, the Iraqi branch of the Ba'ath Party had established a government which collapsed in disorder and was replaced in November that year by a more broadly-based pan-Arab government under
Abdul Salam Arif ʿAbd al-Salam Mohammed ʿArif al-Jumayli ( ar, عبد السلام محمد عارف الجميلي'; 21 March 1921 – 13 April 1966) was the second president of Iraq from 1963 until his death in a plane crash in 1966. He played a leading role ...
. The ANM again played a major role in Iraqi politics, close to the Nasserist elements in Arif's government. After the Nasserists lost influence and withdrew from the government in July 1964, the ANM continued to collaborate with them and in September that year attempted a coup. In 1964, the ANM merged into the Iraqi Arab Socialist Union.


Jordan

In
Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
, the ANM influenced the political landscape and led to the foundation of nationalistic organizations in the country in the 1950s and 1960s. In fact, George Habash and his group of activists allegedly absorbed other groups with similar ideologies in
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
,
Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
, and also
Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
. During the years up to 1956, Haddad left Beirut to spread Arab nationalist ideas in Jordan, where Palestinians teamed up with Jordanians to give birth to the Jordanian National Movement (JNM). Ideas of Arab nationalism easily spread in Jordan, especially as means to channel strong sentiments against the
Hashemites The Hashemites ( ar, الهاشميون, al-Hāshimīyūn), also House of Hashim, are the royal family of Jordan, which they have ruled since 1921, and were the royal family of the kingdoms of Hejaz (1916–1925), Syria (1920), and Iraq (1921 ...
' government. The JNM presented its ideals as the “new”, opposite to the “old” Hashemite-Western national structure, calling for Arab nationalism and raising awareness among the population calling them to action. Jordanian and Palestinian people cooperated in the Movement, in order for it to become a large umbrella for opposition activities, especially after Jordan united with the
West Bank The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
in 1950. Many branches of nationalistic and anti-imperial movements in the
Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
developed in Jordan during the 1950s, namely the JNM, the
Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...
, the
Ba'ath Party The Arab Socialist Baʿath Party ( ar, حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي ' ) was a political party founded in Syria by Mishel ʿAflaq, Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn al-Bītār, and associates of Zaki al-ʾArsūzī. The party espoused B ...
, the National Front, the Movement of Arab Nationalists, and the National Socialist Party (NSP). Moreover, Mahmud al-Mu'ayta and Shahir Abu Shahut established the Free Officers’ Movement within the
Arab Legion The Arab Legion () was the police force, then regular army of the Emirate of Transjordan, a British protectorate, in the early part of the 20th century, and then of independent Jordan, with a final Arabization of its command taking place in 195 ...
, composed of young Arab officers aligning themselves ideologically with the Ba'ath Party. This movement took some important aspects of the ANM political ideology, such as the rejection of any compromise with Israel and the belief in an act of revenge laying in Arab unity. Between 1951 and 1953, Habash and Haddad set up a medical clinic in
Amman Amman (; ar, عَمَّان, ' ; Ammonite language, Ammonite: 𐤓𐤁𐤕 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''Rabat ʻAmān'') is the capital and largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of 4,061,150 a ...
and started treating
refugees A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.
and the poor of the city for free. At the same time, they launched literacy campaigns, with doctors, teachers and students speaking in political clubs around Jordan to spread their message. Following the influence of the ANM, in July 1954, The National Socialist Party (NSP) was founded, composed of moderate leftist, mostly Jordanian, politicians. This newly active and animated political debate in Jordan posed a threat to the political leadership, especially because of the opposition movements' connections with Nasser's ideology and with other organizations in Arab states, such as the ANM.


Kuwait

In
Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
the ANM branch was reconstituted as the Progressive Democrats, a political party still in existence.


Lebanon

In
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
the Hawatmeh wing (which had in majority in the Lebanon branch) reconstituted itself as the
Organization of Lebanese Socialists The Organization of Lebanese Socialists ( ar, منظمة الاشتراكيين اللبنانيين, ''Munaẓẓamah al-ištirākiyyin al-lubnāniyyin'') was a political organization in Lebanon. The organization was led by Muhsin Ibrahim and Muha ...
in 1968, and in later merged with
Socialist Lebanon Socialist Lebanon ( ar, لبنان الاشتراكي, ''Lubnān al-ištirākī'') was a Marxist group in Lebanon. The group was formed in 1965 by intellectuals and academicians including Ahmad Beydoun, Waddah Sharara, and Fawwaz Traboulsi.Kazzi ...
to form the
Communist Action Organization in Lebanon The Communist Action Organization in Lebanon – CAOL ( ar, منظمة العمل الشيوعي في لبنان , ''munaẓẓamah al-‘amal al-shuyū‘ī fī lubnān''), also known as Organization of Communist Action in Lebanon (OCAL) or Orga ...
, which was active during the
Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ar, الحرب الأهلية اللبنانية, translit=Al-Ḥarb al-Ahliyyah al-Libnāniyyah) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 120,000 fatalities a ...
and in the
Hezbollah Hezbollah (; ar, حزب الله ', , also transliterated Hizbullah or Hizballah, among others) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group, led by its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah since 1992. Hezbollah's parami ...
-led resistance to Israel's occupation of the Lebanese south (1982-2000). The Habash loyalists formed the Arab Socialist Action Party – Lebanon.


Oman

In 1964 the ANM branch in
Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
participated in the formation of the
Dhofar Liberation Front Dhofar Liberation Front (DLF) ( ar, جبهة تحرير ظفار) was a communist front that was established to create a separatist state in Dhofar, the southern province of Oman, which shared a border with South Yemen. The DLF was established b ...
(DLF). The ANM as a whole supported the
Dhofar Rebellion The Dhofar Rebellion, also known as the Dhofar War or the Omani Civil War, was waged from 1963 to 1976 in the province of Dhofar against the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman. The war began with the formation of the Dhofar Liberation Front, a group ...
. NLFD later transformed into the
Popular Front for the Liberation of the Occupied Arabian Gulf The Popular Front for the Liberation of the Occupied Arabian Gulf ( ar, الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير الخليج العربي المحتل, abbreviated PFLOAG), later renamed the Popular Front for the Liberation of Oman and the Arabian ...
(PFLOAG), later the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Oman The Popular Front for the Liberation of Oman (in ar, الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير عُمان, al-Jabha aš-Šaʿbiyya li-Taḥrīr ʿUmān, PFLO) was a Marxist and Arab nationalist revolutionary organisation in the Sultanate of Oman. ...
(PFLO). This group led an insurgency in Dhofar for several years in the 1960s and early 1970s, driving government forces from large swaths of territory. It was eventually defeated in the early 1970s by
Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
Qaboos Qaboos bin Said Al Said ( ar, قابوس بن سعيد آل سعيد, ; 18 November 1940 – 10 January 2020) was Sultan of Oman from 23 July 1970 until his death in 2020. A fifteenth-generation descendant of the founder of the House of Al Said ...
, backed by
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
and
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
ian forces. After resistance inside Oman was broken in 1975, the group remained as a minor military and political force based in the sympathetic neighboring state of
South Yemen South Yemen ( ar, اليمن الجنوبي, al-Yaman al-Janubiyy), officially the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (, ), also referred to as Democratic Yemen (, ) or Yemen (Aden) (, ), was a communist state that existed from 1967 to 19 ...
, which had backed the Dhofar rebellion, until the 1980s.


Palestine


Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine

The
Marxist–Leninist Marxism is a left-wing to far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand class relations and social conflict and a dialect ...
elements in the ANM reconstituted its Palestinian branch in the mid-1960s as the
Palestinian National Liberation Front Palestinian National Liberation Front (in Arabic: جبهة التحرير الوطني الفلسطيني) was a Palestinian nationalism, Palestinian political and military organization, based amongst Palestinian refugees in Syria. The group existed ...
. In December 1967 NFLP unified with two other Palestinian factions, Heroes of Return (''abtal al-awda'') and
Ahmed Jibril Ahmed Jibril ( ar, أحمد جبريل; April 1937 – 7 July 2021) was a Palestinian militant, the founder and leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC). During the Syrian Civil War, Jibril wa ...
's
Palestinian Liberation Front The Palestinian Liberation Front ( ar, جبهة التحرير الفلسطينية, PLF) is a Palestinian political faction. Since 1997, the PLF has been a designated terrorist organization by the United States and by Canada since 2003. The P ...
(PLF). Together they formed the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine ( ar, الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين, translit=al-Jabhah al-Sha`biyyah li-Taḥrīr Filasṭīn, PFLP) is a secular Palestinian Marxist–Leninist and revolutionary soci ...
(PFLP), under Habash's leadership.


Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine

In early 1968, a
Maoist Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Ch ...
faction headed by Hawatmeh broke away from PFLP to form the
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP; ar, الجبهة الديموقراطية لتحرير فلسطين, ''al-Jabha al-Dīmūqrāṭiyya li-Taḥrīr Filasṭīn'') is a secular Palestinian Marxist–Leninist organi ...
(DFLP, initially PDFLP). The PFLP and DFLP subsequently both spawned a number of breakaway factions, such as the PFLP-GC, the PLF and the
FIDA ''Fida'' (translation: ''Infatuated'') is a 2004 Indian romantic thriller film released on 20 August 2004. The film is directed by Ken Ghosh and stars Fardeen Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor. The film was a box office bomb. Plot Someb ...
. Many of these groups were active as a leftist hardline opposition within the PLO, and most participated in the
Rejectionist Front The Rejectionist Front (Arabic: جبهة الرفض) or Front of the Palestinian Forces Rejecting Solutions of Surrender (جبهة القوى الفلسطينية الرافضة للحلول الإستسلامية) was a political coalition formed ...
of 1974.


Current situation

Even though the PFLP and DFLP remain very active in Palestinian politics and both have played a military role in the
Second Intifada The Second Intifada ( ar, الانتفاضة الثانية, ; he, האינתיפאדה השנייה, ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada ( ar, انتفاضة الأقصى, label=none, '), was a major Palestinian uprising against Israel. ...
, their political support is rather reduced, especially within the occupied territories. Partly, this is related to the decline of the Arab left in general, a trend related to changes in Arab political culture but also to the fall of the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
. But in addition to that, the specific circumstances of the
occupied territories Military occupation, also known as belligerent occupation or simply occupation, is the effective military control by a ruling power over a territory that is outside of that power's sovereign territory.Eyāl Benveniśtî. The international law ...
have led to dual pressure from the radical Islamist opposition of
Hamas Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Bri ...
, on the one hand, and the patronage resources available to
Fatah Fatah ( ar, فتح '), formerly the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, is a Palestinian nationalist social democratic political party and the largest faction of the confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and ...
through its control of the
Palestinian National Authority The Palestinian National Authority (PA or PNA; ar, السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية '), commonly known as the Palestinian Authority and officially the State of Palestine,
on the other.


Saudi Arabia

The Saudi branch gave birth to the
Arab Socialist Action Party – Arabian Peninsula The Arab Socialist Action Party – Arabian Peninsula ( ar, حزب العمل الاشتراكي العربي ـ الجزيرة العربية ''Ḥizb al`Amal al Ishtirākiy al-`Arabiy-Al-Jazīra al`Arabiyyah''), was an underground oppositional p ...
, a Marxist-Nationalist faction aligned with the
PFLP The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine ( ar, الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين, translit=al-Jabhah al-Sha`biyyah li-Taḥrīr Filasṭīn, PFLP) is a secular Palestinian Marxist–Leninist and revolutionary so ...
.


Syria

In 1962 the
Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
n branch, until then a small group of intellectuals almost all of whom were Palestinian, reacted to the break-up of the
United Arab Republic The United Arab Republic (UAR; ar, الجمهورية العربية المتحدة, al-Jumhūrīyah al-'Arabīyah al-Muttaḥidah) was a sovereign state in the Middle East from 1958 until 1971. It was initially a political union between Eg ...
by establishing a mass-movement calling for immediate re-unification with Egypt. Membership quickly surged to several thousand, and the leadership participated in the first Ba'athist-led government established after the coup of 8 March 1963, though on a non-party basis. The
Ba'ath Party The Arab Socialist Baʿath Party ( ar, حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي ' ) was a political party founded in Syria by Mishel ʿAflaq, Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn al-Bītār, and associates of Zaki al-ʾArsūzī. The party espoused B ...
and its allied officers almost immediately after the March coup began purging Nasserists from power, with dismissals, transfers and arrests during the Spring of 1963; the ANM was viewed as one of the most serious threats, because of its numerical force and ideological appeal to the Ba'athist constituency. The Ba'ath-ANM tensions culminated in a Nasserist coup attempt led by
Jassem Alwan Jassem Alwan ( ar, جاسم علوان, ''Jāsim ʿAlwān'') (born 4 July 1928 – died 3 January 2018 in Cairo) was a prominent colonel in the Syrian Army, particularly during the period of the United Arab Republic (UAR) (1958–1961) when he serv ...
that was struck down in July, 1963, after which Nasserism and the ANM in particular was a spent force in Syria. The ANM entered the Arab Socialist Union, but both the Hawatmeh and Habash loyalists later reconstituted themselves as independent parties, and the ASU itself splintered repeatedly during the Syrian 1960s and early 1970s.


Yemen

In
South Yemen South Yemen ( ar, اليمن الجنوبي, al-Yaman al-Janubiyy), officially the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (, ), also referred to as Democratic Yemen (, ) or Yemen (Aden) (, ), was a communist state that existed from 1967 to 19 ...
the local ANM branch was instrumental in forming the National Liberation Front which would later become the
Yemeni Socialist Party The Yemeni Socialist Party ( ar, الحزب الاشتراكي اليمني, ''al-Hizb al-Ishtiraki al-Yamani'', YSP) is a political party in Yemen. A successor of Yemen's National Liberation Front, it was the ruling party in South Yemen until Y ...
(YSP), the leading political party in the
People's Democratic Republic of Yemen South Yemen ( ar, اليمن الجنوبي, al-Yaman al-Janubiyy), officially the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (, ), also referred to as Democratic Yemen (, ) or Yemen (Aden) (, ), was a communist state that existed from 1967 to 19 ...
. In
North Yemen North Yemen may refer to: * Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen (1918–1962) * Yemen Arab Republic The Yemen Arab Republic (YAR; ar, الجمهورية العربية اليمنية '), also known simply as North Yemen or Yemen (Sanaʽa), was a ...
, the members of ANM broke away from the mother organization in June 1968, forming the
Revolutionary Democratic Party of Yemen Revolutionary Democratic Party of Yemen ( ar, الحزب الديمقراطي الثوري اليمن) was a political party in Yemen Arab Republic, North Yemen, founded by a conference of the members of the Arab Nationalist Movement in North Ye ...
(which would eventually merge into the YSP). After the reuniting of the two Yemens in 1990, the YSP became the major opposition party in the
Republic of Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast and sha ...
.


References


Sources

* AbuKhalil, As’ad. “George Habash and the Movement of Arab Nationalists: Neither Unity nor Liberation.” ''Journal of Palestine Studies'' 28, no. 4 (July 1999): 91–103. . * Adeed Dawisha. ''Arab Nationalism in the Twentieth Century : From Triumph to Despair''. Princeton ; Oxford Princeton University Press, 2016. * Anderson, Betty S. (2021-11-03). ''Nationalist Voices in Jordan''. University of Texas Press. doi:10.7560/706101. . * Aruri, Naseer H. ''Jordan, a Study in Political Development (1921-1965)''. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1972. * Bobal, R. Thomas. “‘A Puppet, Even Though He Probably Doesn’t Know So’: Racial Identity and the Eisenhower Administration’s Encounter with Gamal Abdel Nasser and the Arab Nationalist Movement.” ''The International History Review'' 35, no. 5 (October 2013): 943–74. . * Cubert, Harold M. ''The PFLP’s Changing Role in the Middle East''. London: Cass, Cop, 1997. * Demichelis, Marco, and Paolo Maggiolini. ''The Struggle to Define a Nation : Rethinking Religious Nationalism in the Contemporary Islamic World''. Piscataway, Nj: Gorgias Press, 2017. * Habash, George, and Mahmoud Soueid. “Taking Stock. An Interview with George Habash.” ''Journal of Palestine Studies'' 28, no. 1 (1998): 86–101. . * Patai, Raphael. “Nationalism in Jordan.” ''Current History'' 36, no. 210 (1959): 77–80. * R. Al-Kubaisi, Basil. “The Arab Nationalist Movement 1951-1971: From Pressure Group to Socialist Party.” 1972. * Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. “Refworld , Jordan: The ‘Arab National Movement’ and Treatment of Its Members by Authorities (January 1999 - March 2006).” Refworld, April 3, 2006. https://www.refworld.org/docid/45f1475b38.html. * Reich, Bernard. ''Political Leaders of the Contemporary Middle East and North Africa: A Biographical Dictionary''. ''Google Books''. Greenwood Publishing Group, 1990. https://books.google.nl/books?id=3D5FulN2WqQC&pg=PA214&lpg=PA214&dq=nasser+and+habash&source=bl&ots=ScJqQ72mef&sig=ACfU3U3DfMvoPT1S3dmt6yQ9Ja1rLFYuWQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjc7eDI_uX3AhXZif0HHfZXA8cQ6AF6BAgQEAM#v=onepage&q=nasser%20and%20habash&f=false. * Sayigh, Yezid. “Reconstructing the Paradox: The Arab Nationalist Movement, Armed Struggle, and Palestine, 1951-1966.” ''Middle East Journal'' 45, no. 4 (1991): 608–29. {{Authority control History of the Palestinian refugees