Las repercusiones de la Guerra Civil española en Palestina: sionistas y comunistas, judíos y árabes

Abstract

The spanish civil war had aroused a wide reaction in the jewish Yishuv in Palestine. Although right-wing groups showed notable sympathy for Spain's nationalist rebels, public opinion in general was manifestly sympathetic to the republican cause. At the same time, despite various expressions of solidarity with the Republic, almost every grouping the Yishuv , including the various gradations of the zionist left, opposed sending youths from Palestine to join the volunteers of the International Brigades. Those were the days of the rebellion of the Palestinian National Movement and the usual arguments of zionist leaders were that «the Yishuv is fighting for its life no less than Spanish Republic». Torn between their commitment to the international struggle against the fascism and the fight of the working classes on the one hand and their commitment to establish a jewish state in Palestine on the other hand, left-wing zionists gave priority to the jewish national project. Even the communists were not that enthusiastic about sending their militants to fight to Spain. Based on the analysis of the contemporary jewish press, this article portrays the various reactions in Palestine to the civil war.