In an interview conducted in late June 2024 with the UK-based Revolutionary Communist Group (RCG), "Abu Kan'an," identified by the website as "a comrade with media responsibilities in the Gaza branch of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)," discussed the importance the organization attributes to its outreach to and activity with university students in the West.
Noting that "continuing efforts are being made" by the organization to "urge the free people of the world and those in solidarity to continue rising up for Gaza," he said that the PFLP was "one of the first Palestinian forces to issue a clear position on the global student intifada" and that "there has become an awareness among students and youth around the world that there is no solution except through a clear strategy, and that the slogan 'Palestine, from the river to the sea' is the only realistic solution to fully achieve Palestinian rights."
He also discussed PFLP's ongoing role in the "battle of Al-Aqsa Flood" – i.e. the Israel-Gaza war. Stating that it "was one of the factions that participated in the 7 October operation" – the attack itself – he reiterated that his organization seeks "the establishment of a democratic Palestinian state on the entire national territory" to be achieved only by "defeating and removing the Zionist entity from our land." He also dismissed the recognition of a Palestinian state by "a group of European countries" as "symbolic" and linked to elections in those countries.
The interview was published on the RCG website on August 5, 2024.[1]
Photo accompanying the interview on the RCG website, captioned "PFLP militants rally in Gaza City on the 43rd anniversary of the founding of their party. (photo: PFLP)"
Below are some excerpts of Abu Kan'an's statements in the interview:
"The PFLP Uses All Available Tools... To Communicate Its Positions"; "Continuing Efforts Are Being Made... To Urge The Free People Of The World And Those In Solidarity To Continue Rising Up For Gaza"
"...The PFLP uses all available tools creatively, including special means of communication and investing in alternative media and digital platforms to communicate its positions, political movement and military performance. Its efforts have also been clear in communicating the picture of the situation directly to the entire world with clarity and honesty.
"Continuing efforts are being made to attract the support required to continue the struggle and expose the occupation everywhere, and to urge the free people of the world and those in solidarity to continue rising up for Gaza. This approach, which the PFLP has taken since the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Flood, reflects the Front's determination to confront the harshness of Gaza's conditions and confront all the occupation's plans, based on the vision that steadfastness, will and resistance are the only way to defeat aggression and achieve the goals of our people..."
"The PFLP Was One Of The Factions That Participated In The 7 October Operation"; "It Remains Present On The Battlefield In All Areas Of The Gaza Strip"
"The role of the PFLP and [its military arm] the Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades in the battle of Al-Aqsa Flood is vital and prominent, being one of the main factions now waging a battle to defend the Palestinian presence and confront Zionist aggression in the Gaza Strip, alongside the Al-Qassam Brigades [Hamas's military arm] and other resistance factions. The PFLP was one of the factions that participated in the 7 October operation and is still performing well in the battle. It remains present on the battlefield in all areas of the Gaza Strip and has brought to this battle its foremost leaders, fighters and cadres, carving the path to Jerusalem, liberation and return. This presence is consistent with the Front's vision and strategy of confronting the occupation.
"The Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades play a vital role in ongoing operations, and cooperate closely with the rest of the Palestinian factions participating in the battle of al-Aqsa Flood. ...This strategy is ongoing and will continue... . The resistance factions will intensify their process of exhausting the Zionist enemy in all locations in the Gaza Strip, especially in the Netzarim axis in central Gaza, and the Philadelphia axis in the south. The enemy must expect many surprises, strikes and ambushes from the resistance factions..."
Recognition Of A Palestinian State By "A Group Of European Countries" Is "Symbolic And Has No Effect"; The PFLP Aim "Will Not Be Achieved Except By Defeating And Removing The Zionist Entity From Our Land"
"Recognition of a Palestinian state by a group of European countries has come as a result of popular pressure upon their governments to adopt a position on the ongoing Zionist war of annihilation. Here we are talking about some countries whose positions were affected by popular pressure, not about European countries that are directly involved in the genocidal war against the Palestinian people. We expect that the reality of European positions will not go beyond recognition of the Palestinian state under the Oslo framework, or the failed two-state solution. On the other hand, the rush of some European countries to recognize the Palestinian state can be linked to the election race within those countries, or within the European Parliament, and within the framework of the conflict between right-wing and left-wing parties in Europe. This step is symbolic and has no effect...
"We in the PFLP consider that the realistic solution is the establishment of a democratic Palestinian state on the entire national territory, with Jerusalem as its capital. This will not be achieved except by defeating and removing the Zionist entity from our land..."
"The PFLP Was One Of The First Palestinian Forces To Issue A Clear Position On The Global Student Intifada" – We Were "Actually Accused Of Directly Supporting Or Inciting This"
"The PFLP was one of the first Palestinian forces to issue a clear position on the global student intifada, during which it praised the uprising, considering it an important shift in global popular mood. This is especially true among younger generations and students, and represents an important victory for the Palestinian narrative. The emergence of this movement is a crushing defeat for the Zionist narrative, and for all Western policies that tried to obscure the facts and support occupation.
"The Front, along with other Palestinian and Arab resistance movements, was actually accused of directly supporting or inciting this global student uprising, and this is an honor for the Front. We also saw the transmission of this global uprising to Britain's universities as a very important development, as the culmination of the ongoing mass outburst within Britain that began since the beginning of the battle of the Al-Aqsa Flood...
" There has become an awareness among students and youth around the world that there is no solution except through a clear strategy, and that the slogan 'Palestine, from the river to the sea' is the only realistic solution to fully achieve Palestinian rights."
[1] Abu Kan'an's role could not be independently verified by MEMRI.
