Revolutionary Communist League , RKL (transl. From Hebrew: Brit Kommunistim Mahapchanin ) is a Trotskyist political organization in Palestine during the British Mandate , which existed from the late 1930s to the late 1940s. The official Palestinian section of the Fourth International .
Content
- 1 Creation
- 2 Attitude towards Zionism and Israel
- 3 References
- 3.1 Materials RKL
- 3.2 Materials on the history of the RKL
Creation
In the late 1930s, a Trotskyist organization was organized in Palestine, called the Revolutionary Communist League. Its creation was attended by former activists of the Brandler Communist Party - the Opposition , who emigrated to Palestine after Hitler came to power in Germany. After emigration, they began to approach from Bukharinist to Trotskyist positions and established contacts with the International Left Opposition . The second component of the RKL was the Zion Workers Party and the Marxist circles of the land of Israel ( Mifleget Poale Zion VeHaHugim HaMarksistim beEretz Yisrael ) or simply “Marxist Circles” (MK). MK was a youth organization of the left faction of Poalei Zion , associated with the London Bureau of Socialist Parties . The third component was the Hashomer-Hatsair left-wing kibbutz movement, which also maintained relations with the London Bureau. In 1940, the Palestinian Communist Jabra Nikola joined the RKL, having broken with the Communist Party of Palestine after the conclusion of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in 1939. The League published the newspaper Kol Hama'amad (Voice of the Class).
One of the important figures in the RKL was Igael Gluckstein, better known as Tony Cliff . As an activist of Hashomer-Khatsair, in the 1930s he began to lean toward Trotskyism. In 1947, Cliff moved to Britain and became one of the leaders of the Revolutionary Communist Party .
Attitudes toward Zionism and Israel
Jacob Taut , one of the leaders of the RKL, writes:
“The League rejected the creation of a Jewish state because it could only become part of the decaying capitalist system and this step would only exacerbate the Jewish question. In addition, such a state can only be created by expelling the Arab population living here. ”
The League advocated the need for joint action by Arab and Jewish workers. In this context, she criticized the Histadrut , whose members could only be Jewish workers. In April 1946, a general strike took place in Palestine, in which railroad, postal, port and other workers, both Arabs and Jews, took part. The RKL distributed among them leaflets in Hebrew and Arabic. The leaflets said that this strike could have an effect on the struggle of workers in neighboring countries.
After the adoption by the UN General Assembly of resolution No. 181, the RKL strongly opposed the division of Palestine into Arab and Jewish states. In September 1947, the League issued a resolution entitled “Against Separation,” and in May 1948, “Against the Current.” The League criticized the Soviet Union for recognizing the Jewish state and for helping Israel with weapons. She called for revolutionary defeatism on both sides in the Arab-Israeli war (1948-1949).
In the late 1940s, the group ceased to exist.
Links
RLC Materials
- T. Cliff . Palestinian strike. Arab and Jewish Unity (May 1946 )
- T. Cliff. The Irresponsible Attitude to the Jewish Question (1947 )
- Against Separation (RKL Resolution, September 1947 )
- Against the tide (RKL resolution, May 1948 )
RLC History Materials
- The struggle for Trotskyism in Palestine (preface to the RKL resolution “Against the Current,” 1948 )
- T. Cliff. The world to be conquered. The Life of a Revolutionary (2000 )