Over the past few years, expressions of solidarity with Palestinians have become ubiquitous and unavoidable. Social media has undoubtedly played a crucial role in this, serving as a global hub for independent journalism, firsthand accounts from Palestine, music and art, calls-to-action, and even public history about Palestine on a scale that was unimaginable prior to the advent of the information age. At the same time, much of this activism has operated along lines that are rather familiar to historians: marches, lectures, petition drives, mutual aid groups, cultural production, campus activism, and civil disobedience in solidarity with Palestine and Palestinians all have roots that are deep and wide.

This panel approaches Palestinian solidarity through a comparative global and historical lens, focusing on movements that were organized and operated outside of Palestine. Chronologically, these studies range from the 1930s to the 1990s and sweep geographically from Syria and Lebanon to Latin America and the United States. Collectively, we follow an eclectic mix of actors, including intellectuals, artists, migrants (especially Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian diaspora communities), political activists, and revolutionary resistance groups. Each paper considers and analyzes different forms of solidarity, traces the development and evolution of transnational networks, and assess obstacles and limitations confronted by pro-Palestinian movements in the past.

The first paper explores the intellectual production of Syrian and Lebanese Christians during French and British colonial rule in the Eastern Mediterranean, reframing Pan-Arab nationalism in the 1930s and 40s as an expression of Palestinian solidarity. In doing so, it considers both the importance and limitations of Arab nationalism as an anti-colonial movement during these formative years. The second paper traces the evolution of Black activists in the United States on the question of Palestine. It argues that the 1967 War and Israel’s subsequent occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, and the Golan Heights marked a decisive turning point, after which the fight for Palestinian and Black liberation came to be seen as part of a broader global movement against global forces of oppression. The third paper builds on these global connections by turning to Schafik Handal, a Communist activist born in El Salvador to Palestinian immigrant parents. This exploration of Handal’s life and work illustrates the intimate connections between Palestine and the Global South while also highlighting the role of the United States as a counterrevolutionary force in global politics. The final paper ties together elements present in each of the preceding papers by telling the story of Marcel Khalife, a Lebanese Christian singer who performed songs set to Palestinian poetry for Arab American audiences, galvanizing Palestinian solidarity movements in the United States in the 1980s and 90s. It concludes by considering how, in the 21st century, Khalife’s music came to be depoliticized for American audiences.

Taken together, these papers show that global Palestinian solidarity movements grow from meaningful linkages with Palestinians while at the same time reflecting their own distinctive socio-political contexts. This offers both possibilities for and limitations to the struggle for collective liberation.