Building Palestinian Institutions in the Diaspora

by Charles Lenchner · 2008-12-02 04:36:00 UTC
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Electronic Intifada has an article by a young Palestinian who is doing her best to resurrect the General Union of Palestinian Students, or GUPS.

"Historically, GUPS has always played a significant role in the Palestinian cause. Officially launched in 1959 in Cairo, Egypt, there were more than 100 GUPS branches worldwide, and more than 100,000 students were involved. GUPS was active in coordinating with other student groups and raising awareness about the Palestinian. However, it collapsed after the Oslo Accords in the mid-1990s."

This was part of a strong and vibrant international Palestinian movement led by the PLO, with numerous institutions across the world. During the Oslo period the lines of authority between the PLO and the Palestinian Authority got a bit messy. Today, it isn't always clear who the address for Palestinian concerns should be.

On the one hand, you have the PLO Missions or Palestinian embassies around the world. On the other, you have organizations explicitly opposed to the Palestinian Authority government of Mahmoud Abbas, such as al-Awda. Who gets to the 'the' Palestinian movement's address - supporters of the elected leadership in Palestine, or opposition forces against the very existence of the Palestinian Authority?

It would be good if there was a strong and diverse Palestinian movement in the United States, made up of cooperating and interlocking elements.  If anyone has insights into the history of the Palestinian solidarity movement in the U.S., please post a link or some stories from the glory days, which may have been the late 80s.

Charles Lenchner
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