The Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity Party (JDPUP) is a left wing organisation in Jordan. It is an extension of the experience and legacy of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in Jordan following the end of martial law, democratic transition and return of open party life in 1990.
Can you please introduce your party and the work you undertake?
The Popular Unity Party has been a qualitative addition to political activity. The party has a student presence in most universities, and its composition is predominantly youth-oriented. Among women, we have the Jordanian Women’s Association, which is a framework that defends women’s rights. We also have a very broad presence in professional unions, including engineers, doctors, pharmacists, veterinarians, agricultural engineers, and most of the fifteen professional unions in Jordan.
I am responsible for labour union work in the party and the coordinator of the national campaign to defend Jordanian workers, The Voice of the Workers, which is a campaign concerned with defending workers, embracing their demands, and addressing their problems. The party has a presence throughout Jordan and adopts the ideology of the working class and is biased towards the poor. It has made contributions to the national work arena, and as I said, it is an extension of the legacy of struggle.
The party has multiple activities. We have a two-issue program:
- A democratic, national Jordan
- The restoration of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.
In the Palestinian arena, in Gaza, a war of extermination is raging, and in the West Bank, the Zionist entity is working to displace Palestinians, Judaise Jerusalem, and obliterate the identity of the Palestinian people. We believe that what the Palestinian people have been subjected to requires, at the very least, that influential governments take clear positions condemning the Zionist entity, which is supported by the colonial West, specifically Britain, whose imperialist policies we suffer from and which are the cause of the crisis facing the Palestinian people.
At this stage of its colonial imperialist policies towards the Palestinian cause and the issues of the region, had it not been for the Balfour Declaration, there would not have been a Zionist entity, “Israel,” in Palestine. It gave to those who did not own. He gave what he did not own to those who did not deserve it. This is what British colonialism did. Britain gave a state in Palestine at the expense of the Palestinian people.
The Palestinian people at this moment are suffering from a real famine and from Arab and international complicity. It is true that for the first time we see that the Palestinian narrative has completely surpassed the Zionist narrative, which never expected its narrative based on biblical dreams to decline. We must see that October 7 was able to restore the Palestinian cause to its rightful place, after European imperialism obscured the Palestinian narrative and the injustice they are subjected to as a result of Zionist-American colonialism. We must take into account this moral and political support from the European masses, who reject the war of genocide.
Why did the European mood change and consign the Israeli narrative to the dustbin of history? We are now faced with a new narrative, but one written with the blood of Palestinian children, women, and the elderly. I mean, a narrative now about displacement. Almost 90% of the buildings in the Gaza Strip have been demolished. There is no place left, at least not for suitable for living.
However, the Palestinian people are clinging to their land and do not want a repeat of what happened in 1948 or 1967. Therefore, they need the support of all revolutionary and progressive forces in this world, because the voice in Europe is much louder, at least among decision-makers in Europe and the United States, than it is in this region, which unfortunately is hostage in its decisions to the current equation. This means that American agendas are imposed in this region in almost every detail.
What criticisms have been directed at the steps taken by us revolutionaries in the west?
Can you also comment on the release of comrade Georges Abdallah from the prisons of French imperialism this week?. After 41 years of imprisonment, we saw a hero who was not defeated by the long years, but quite the opposite. This is despite the fact he was supposed to be released 25 years ago, but American and Israeli pressure prevented his freedom by pressuring French imperialism not to release him.
We demand that the vital forces on the European continent reject the Zionist-American policies that seek to impose more hegemony and sovereignty over oppressed peoples.
As a proposal that could be put forward at this moment, there are two basic points:
- The first is my estimation that the revolutionary forces worldwide now need more coordination, I mean together with each other.
- The second point is the mechanism of work from Europe specifically because there is a wider space for movement, at least in my opinion, in democracy in Europe than in our Arab countries, to break the siege on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Now there are 36 hospitals in the Gaza Strip, most of them were destroyed. There are children dying now of hunger as a result of the lack of the minimum requirements for a child who is days old, a child who is a year old, dying of hunger. Yesterday, more than 25 children were martyred as a result of hunger.
In my opinion, if the governments do not submit in the West, as for this popular movement in its own countries, I believe we will continue to suffer from the same crisis. We will keep recycling the crisis. Unfortunately, in the recent period, we have seen that, specifically in Britain, a group of political activists were brought before the British courts on the basis that supporting the Palestinian people is terrorism in one way or another. This means that it is offensive to the movement of history and the path of the people’s movement, and that it is logically unacceptable. Once again, the Zionist narrative must fall in the world and the European revolutionary forces must adopt the Palestinian narrative.
We are not against the Jews as Jews. We are against Zionism, against the entity, against Israel, and we are not against the Jews in our country. There was historical coexistence, even in Palestine before 1948. There were Jews in the Levant, in Damascus, in more than one location, that is, as part of the social components. We are against Zionism as a colonial, settler, and replacement movement that wants to uproot a people from their land and bring in peoples coming from Europe, specifically Eastern Europe, and from the United States. This is frankly at the expense of the future and at the expense of the Palestinian people.
The global conscience at this stage must move in the service of the Palestinian people. The Palestinian people are a world of famine. The Palestinian people do not have the minimum necessities of life now. The Palestinian people are suffering from a shortage of medicine and solutions. Children are dying of hunger. They are starving. The borders are closed. The Zionist entity, Israel, is imposing its logic on the Arabs in one way or another and on the world through this arrogance, which has now extended from Palestine to Lebanon, to Syria, to Iraq, to Iran, to more than one location in the region. Consequently, this entity means that there is no longer a possibility of coexisting with it in one way or another. I believe that the Europeans in particular are the most affected by the aggressive Israeli policies allied with the American administration.
Certainly, the European governments, the Zionist entity and its allies are in control of the American decision-making process, in one way or another. These are the positions of the peoples, at least the apparent movement, specifically the European left, whose positions are increasing, and the communists are at the forefront, I mean without a doubt.
The problem is that this is a suggestion that can be put forward to you, my friend, that what is required is to unify the slogan, to unify the slogan on the level of the popular movement in this world, from Latin America and even in North America, passing through Europe and our region, because I believe that the more the popular movements unify their discourse on a specific issue or in a specific slogan, the more it is possible to serve the idea better, I mean during the next stage, especially the Europeans are the most harmed by the American-Zionist Israeli policies in Europe specifically.
The European peoples are paying the price for these policies that are absolutely biased by the European governments towards the Zionist entity, and which are subservient to the American decisions in one way or another.
I believe also that there are also cadres of Arab movements, factions and parties present in Europe with whom it is possible to coordinate. We are at a stage that requires unifying efforts and raising a specific slogan: How can we break the siege now on the Palestinian people, whether in Gaza or in the West Bank? The other question is: How can we affirm the rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them the right to self-determination and the establishment of a state on the entire Palestinian national soil? The third issue is that this Zionism is a disease that practically afflicts, that is, it affects all free people in this world, and thus confronting it is a matter of utmost importance. Yes, there is negligence on the part of some parties, but this is now a stage based on what is happening in Gaza. I believe that we all need -I mean, I say -that we create mechanisms for how we can work to break the siege and provide aid to the Palestinian people, who are making the highest sacrifices that modern history has never witnessed. There is a real killing, massacres committed daily against the Palestinian people. I assure you that more than 100,000 have been martyred before the Zionist war and more than 150,000 wounded. This now needs medical teams, meaning they can quickly go to these and provide medicine and aid, but the most important thing is the political position: how can the Palestinian people be supported politically in this world?
We are now in need of at least, and this is a suggestion that could be presented by the Communist Party and presented to you, that it is indeed true that there was a call in the International Criminal Court, but it is clear that the American administration and some Europeans, such as Britain in particular, do not want the war criminal Netanyahu to present himself, along with this team of Gallant and everyone, to present himself to the International Criminal Court, because this will be an example for which Britain, which destroyed our countries, could be held accountable, and for which France, which used our peoples specifically in Africa and in some parts of the region, could be held accountable.
They are now defending the right to the state to usurp our lands, which they have exercised for hundreds of years, and therefore they have no interest in it coming forward, Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir or Smotrich, to the International Criminal Court. They want a reality that exists, led by the American administration and supported by Britain, France and this extreme right now in Europe, which unfortunately, is repeating the model of creating identities that defend Israel as a case as if it were internal in its country. We see this in Germany. We see it in France through the sweeping right, unfortunately, and even in Britain and in the United States.
This is Trump, frankly, this is a real war criminal, I mean, and therefore, actually now the European human rights activists, the human rights activists in Ireland, the Irish people in particular, their issue is close to the Palestinian issue. The Palestinians suffer from the same root of the problem that the Irish have, but perhaps the difference is that the Irish live and are still on their land. The Palestinians are a diaspora, more than 7-8 million Palestinian refugees living in the diaspora in this world, while you bring Jews from Ethiopia and they may not even be Jews, I mean, and there may not even be Jews. You bring them only to serve the Israeli project of expansion in this region.
Finally, you mentioned Comrade George Abdallah. Abdallah was a fighter who remained steadfast in his principles and did not compromise. George represents a conscience for the interlocutors in this world because it is clear that whoever carries the concern of the Palestinian cause pays a heavy price in this world.
I understand there are various groups of the Popular Front that are working in the Gaza such as medical teams, emergency teams to clear rubble and of course the Abu Ali Mustafa brigades. First of all can you inform us of first of all the conditions they are working under, and secondly of the work they do?
All the Palestinian people need help, regardless of political faction, identity, political affiliation, to any organisation or any political party inside, the Palestinian people as a whole, and their important factions, cadres, ordinary people, workers, teachers, doctors, us. The number of prisoners now in Israeli prisons has exceeded 20,000 prisoners. There are more than 10,000 prisoners from the Gaza Strip alone. It is not known where they are absolutely. This is frankly, human rights organisations now in the world, the organisations concerned with defending prisoners.
I believe that in the Gaza Strip now there is a hospital called Al-Awda Hospital or two hospitals that have a group, meaning health centres surrounding the hospitals. These hospitals are now suffering from a shortage of medicine, they are suffering from a shortage of energy, electricity, gasoline, suffering from a lack of them and they are suffering from the blockade, just as the Palestinian people are suffering from the blockade. By lifting the blockade, I am absolutely convinced that the Palestinian people can at least breathe. There are now more than 25,000 trucks located on the Egyptian border, on the Rafah border or the Egyptian border towards the Gaza Strip. Most of the materials in these trucks have been destroyed due to time, the sun, and weather.
The resistance inside is doing its work. We cannot, from here, indicate what the priorities of the resistance are. It is the most aware of its reality on the ground, its practical reality, and we are not the ones who determine how it does that, but it is now confronting them with bravery and courage that is unparalleled among liberation movements in this world – with less than minimal capabilities, I mean less than minimal.
This is causing daily losses among the ranks of the Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip, I mean at least from the perspective of being informed and following what is happening internally. I believe that the model taking place in Gaza and the West Bank as well is a model that liberation movements have never witnessed. We are talking about the Vietnamese Revolution, but under the shadow of the Vietnamese Revolution, there was the Soviet Union, there was China, there was Cambodia, there was Laos, there was at least a vast ocean. These people are absolutely unable to do anything by sea, air, or land. It is impossible for any issue to enter their lives.
Honestly, the resistance enjoys a moral state that is unparalleled in this world, and it has an issue of the utmost value, which is a social incubator from the Palestinian masses who support this resistance. Therefore, what is required to uphold the values of justice imposed by international legitimacy, the United Nations, is that it is the right of occupied peoples to be protected.
I believe that the model taking place in Gaza and the West Bank as well is a model that liberation movements have never witnessed. Therefore, what is required to uphold the values of right imposed by international legitimacy, the United Nations, is that it is the right of occupied peoples to defend and struggle to liberate their homelands. These are the priorities of the people, and it is their right that these governments know that resistance is not terrorism.
But I want to emphasise to you, my friend, that the issues of the region, the Middle East in general, cannot be resolved without resolving the Palestinian issue. And the glorious October 7th is a milestone for all oppressed peoples. To say no despite the imbalance of power, in favour of colonialism and in favour of the major powers, this is the cry of October 7th. A cry in the desert, an achievement of expression, saying to imperialism, saying to colonialism, saying to Zionism: Enough! meaning now is the peoples’ turn.
We care a lot about everything that comes to us from Europe to its back, and we try to generalise to the people, meaning to show the working classes in our country that there is a labour movement in solidarity with the Palestinian people. and I am also in the central committee of the party, and we can communicate about the latest positions.
There are statements in our vision, and I sincerely hope that we work together because this is what October 7th also put forward. It is the foundation for the seeds of a global resistance movement against colonialism, against imperialism, a movement against fascism, against neo-Nazis in the world. Therefore, I believe that there are a number of major commonalities between us.
We are ready for any cooperation, I mean, with respect and appreciation to the fighters who have paid a lot through their political movement and their struggle, for their firm and rooted positions, like your respected and appreciated party. This world is now small and we are facing major confrontations in the world, this new Trumpism. He seeks to create a national state that is inward-looking and wants to wage war on the world so that America remains the dominant one, the cowboy, the one with power and authority, and the whole world wants to work in the service of the American master, and this is unacceptable.
I wish to take this opportunity to pay salutations to the resistance in Gaza and in the West Bank. Other struggles had allies and oceans to receive material, meanwhile Gaza is a 40 km strip fighting against the combined imperialist might of the world.
On October 7th, decades of violence and brutalisation directed at the Palestinians would culminate in the launch of an operation by resistance groups against the Israeli military. The response has been a horrific genocide that has seen around 63,000 killed over two years, with the IDF’s own estimation of 83% of their inflicted casualties to be unarmed civilians, whilst the rest of the world looks on in disgust.
I believe, from the point of view in the West, this has shaken the Zionist project to its core. On two fronts this is apparent:
First its myth of military invincibility has been shattered forever. The settlers in the Gaza envelope, the North or wherever it may be will never feel the same safety again, as October 7th and all resistance movements, from the North to the South, will forever be in their minds.
Secondly, it shattered the years-long propaganda campaign in the West of the so-called ‘only liberal democracy in the Middle East’. It has been made clear from social media, legacy media, through workers movements, what the true face of Zionism is.
I think there’s two worlds; the world before October 7th and the world after. Despite the horrors inflicted on the Palestinian people the world after October 7th is an awful lot closer to the end of Zionism, to the end of this settler-colonial regime. It is waning each day.
As you say this can only be achieved through the support of the Palestinian people and the bravery and the courage of those who fight. That right to fight is enshrined international law under UN General Assembly resolution 37/43: oppressed peoples have the to resist by any means they deem necessary- including armed struggle.
Resistance does not constitute terrorism, and free people of the world support the right to resist.
Thank you for taking your time today to speak to me, do you have any concluding remarks?
First of all, I am pleased to meet you. I hope that we will meet again.
We need to see how you think in Europe. I fully appreciate the important role of the Communist Party in Britain because I believe that communists necessarily have class biases for all the oppressed in this world. Otherwise, they are not communists if they are not biased towards the poor, the oppressed and the downtrodden. It is impossible for one to be a communist. I mean, in my opinion, this is part of the imperialist system in the world, the colonial system. I mean, I am absolutely convinced that we are together, we have a set of common goals, the most important of which is removing injustice from this world, whether in Palestine or elsewhere.
We, at least, I mean through our relationship in many of the struggle stations in Latin America, or in the Arab region, or in Africa, see that the root of the problem lies specifically in one root of the problem, which is this imperialism, really fascism in every sense of the word fascism, and it is Nazi in its actions, and the Zionist entity, and Israel specifically, is supported by this global imperialist camp. This is what you are asking, a friend, that we once again strive, at the very least, to create a culture of resistance on the global level, a front of luxury. a front that rejects all in this world. You say, “Enough with the minimum,” and I am convinced that you, specifically in Europe, and in the Communist Party in particular, are more capable than us here, at least despite the geographical distance. At least these existing positions have appeared.
Over the past two years, we have held major street events every day in more than one location. This means that we are a party extending from the north of Jordan to its south. It means that whether in universities or in the professional and lobar sectors, we have worked to support and back the struggle of the Palestinian people. I believe that the Palestinian people represent a model for all who aspire and yearn for freedom for these oppressed peoples around the world. Come together. Work together for, at least, if now the opportunity for a journey out of Europe is available. I believe that breaking the siege on the Palestinian people will be an achievement, albeit a small one, but it will be a great achievement, or a nail in the coffin of Zionism and Israel in the next phase.
We are convinced that you are closer to us than many of the right-wing ranks in the Arab region because when you dialogue with someone you agree with within the framework of understanding the struggle for divorce in this world and the fateful issues of the universe, I believe that he is closer in person and not in your thinking.
From many, even from the peoples inside the Arab homelands, we once again confirm to you that these issues are common issues with no separation between them, there is no separation between the issue of the Irish people or the issue of the peoples of some countries in Africa that are occupied up to this moment and whose culture was stolen at least, but the advantage for the Palestinian people is that the occupation was not able to obliterate their national identity nor was it able to strike their culture.
In America, the Americans were able to eliminate the civilisation of the indigenous peoples of America, whether in South America or in North America. In Australia, British colonialism was also able to eliminate the original owners of the land and abolish their culture and bring a new culture in Canada with the same specifications. In New Zealand, too, in this direction, the Palestinian people have become completely certain that they are still clinging to their land, clinging to the truth that was established during their uprising against their enemy, despite the genocide and ethnic cleansing that they are now being subjected to by a war machine.
History has never witnessed anything like it.
Finally, I want to add there is also a prisoner of the stature of Comrade Ahmed Sa’adat in the barracks of the enemy, the Israeli enemy, in occupied Palestine. This also requires the comrades in the Communist Party to pay attention to this struggling comrade, who is serving a life sentence. He has now been in Israeli prisons for 25 years. Sa’adat, is a great leader. He is part of the resistance fighters inside Palestine. We hope that there will be a faster exchange process through which Comrade Ahmed Sa’adat can be released, just as George Abdallah will be released. This is an important milestone for the people.
Welcome back again. I am happy to know you. May God be with you.
Colmchille Dearg
