“Sons of the Country” is a Palestinian leftist movement founded in 1972, and defines itself as “one of the tributaries” of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah). Its activity focuses on defending the rights of Palestinians inside (Palestinians 1948).
The movement was subjected to several splits due to its refusal to participate in the Knesset elections, and it approved many methods of struggle against the occupation, and a number of its leaders were arrested.
Origin and establishment
The “Sons of the Country” movement was founded on August 31, 1972 in the city of Umm al-Fahm within the Palestinian territories occupied in 1948.
Its founders say that its inception came in light of the political transformations that occurred among the Palestinians inside the country following the setback of June 1967.
At that stage, the movement was influenced by Nasserist nationalist thought, and expressed Arab nationalist tendencies in its speech, and stressed that the Palestinians in Israel are part of the Palestinian national movement.
The movement attacked the Israeli Communist Party (RAKH), which was at that time the only effective political force among the Palestinians of 1948, denounced its positions towards the Palestinian issue, and presented itself as an alternative to it, considering that it “does not represent the real interests of the Palestinians in Israel.”
The founders of “Sons of the Country” raised slogans calling on the Israeli government to improve the conditions of the Palestinians inside. In 1972, the movement’s first conference was held in which it formulated its political program and called it the “Green Chair.”
In the same year, the movement ran in local elections in the municipality of Umm al-Fahm, but it only won one seat.
In 1976, it intensified its efforts and built a network of relationships with Arab student committees in Israeli universities, then allied itself with Palestinian political organizations at home.
In 1979, she founded her student wing and called it the “Progressive National Movement” to defend the rights of Arab students in Israeli universities.
The movement participated in the “Equality Day” strike between Arabs and Jews in Israel, which was organized in June 1987.
In 1982, it obtained representation in the Supreme Follow-up Committee for the Arab People in Occupied Palestine, but it was soon criticized due to the Arab members of the Knesset joining its membership.
Due to its activity in defending Palestinians inside the country and its rejection of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, Israel arrested a number of the movement’s leaders, and some Israeli hard-right activists demanded its ban.
On March 3, 2011, the Israeli police arrested the movement’s Secretary-General, Muhammad Kanaana, for allegedly assaulting settlers who stormed the town of Arraba in the Galilee.
Thought and ideology
“Sons of the Country” was initially launched from a background based on “raising the voice of the Palestinians of 1948, defending their rights, and establishing their Palestinian identity.”
In August 2000, it launched a political program in which it affirmed its adherence to “inalienable national principles and constants,” most important of which is the unity of the Palestinian cause and the right of the Palestinian people to freedom, independence, return, and building their independent state.
The movement defined itself as “a natural extension of the Palestinian national movement, expressing the national and national affiliation of the Palestinian Arabs at home, and rejecting integration into Israeli society.”
“Sons of the Country” said of itself that it is “a true socialist and revolutionary movement, one of the tributaries of the Palestinian national liberation movement.”
It believes that the Palestinians in Israel are an integral part of the Palestinian people, and that the Palestine Liberation Organization is their sole legitimate representative, stressing the necessity of Palestinian national unity, escalating the political struggle, strengthening the relationship with global progressive and revolutionary forces, and strengthening relations with liberation movements.
The movement is proud of its “belonging to Palestine among the Palestinian political organizations in Israel.” She believes that the Palestinian issue is the focus of her thought, and that the main problem for her is “Palestinian identity, not Arab identity.”
She says that what distinguishes it from other Palestinian movements in Israel is that its political proposal is “higher” and its approach is “more national.”
The movement’s position on Zionism
The position of “Sons of the Country” on the Zionist movement and Israel constitutes the most important aspect of its political thought, as it views Zionism as “a racist settler movement that aims to uproot the Palestinians from their homeland, and therefore the conflict with it is a conflict of existence.”
The movement affirms that the radical solution to the Palestinian issue is embodied in the establishment of a “secular, democratic society that includes Arabs and Jews on the land of historic Palestine” and rejects any settlement that does not fully achieve this goal.
Defections
On the eve of the Tenth Knesset elections in 1981, disagreements erupted between the leaders of “Sons of the Country” over a number of issues, most notably the position on participation in the Knesset elections and cooperation with the Israeli Communist Party and Israeli political organizations.
Against this background, a new front was formed within the movement known as the “Ansar Front” and attacked the leadership of “Sons of the Country” because of its announcement of a boycott of the Knesset elections.
In June 1983, a number of members of the movement announced their separation from it and established another under the name “Sons of the Country – Ansar Front” to participate in the Knesset elections. The new movement at that time received the support of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
In 1995, a large number of the movement’s leaders and cadres joined the “National Democratic Rally” party, while continuing their membership within “Sons of the Country,” which prompted the movement to issue a statement in which it confirmed that its positions were fundamentally inconsistent with the Rally’s electoral program.
In its statement, it announced the cessation of relations with the National Democratic Rally permanently, which led to a number of the movement’s leaders announcing their defection from it.
On December 22, 2012, the movement held its seventh conference under the slogan “Unity and Reconstruction” with the aim of unifying its ranks and returning dissidents to it.
Means of struggle
The movement approved many means of struggle against the Israeli occupation, the most prominent of which are:
- Boycott the Knesset elections.
- Organizing student activities and events.
- Participation in national marches and events.
- Working to strengthen the internal ranks among the 48 Palestinians.
Most prominent leaders
One of the most prominent founders of the movement is the politician Raja Agbaria, along with a group of founding leaders, such as Muhammad Kanaaneh, Qadri Abu Wasel, Muhammad Kayal, Suhail Salibi, Hatem Shahla, Jamil Saffuri, and Osama Agbariya.
Raja Igbariya was born in 1952 in the city of Umm al-Fahm in the occupied Palestinian territories, and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and psychology. He headed the movement’s General Secretariat for a period of time, and due to his political activity, the occupation authorities dismissed him from his job.
He was arrested several times and the occupation authorities imposed house arrest on him, the most notable of which was on April 9, 2025, when he was administratively detained (without trial) for a period of 4 months by decision of Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz.
Among his most prominent statements addressed to members of the Knesset was his saying, “Your independence is the day of our catastrophe, and the catastrophe is a type of catastrophe.”
As for Kanaana, he participated in founding the “Sons of the Country” movement and held its general secretariats. He is a leader and member of the Supreme Follow-up Committee for the Arab masses inside the occupied Palestinian territories.
The Israeli authorities arrested Kanana several times and released him on May 28, 2008, after serving 4 years in prison.
In September 2012, he was sentenced again to 15 months in prison, and to a suspended prison sentence of 18 months, for allegedly “entering a closed military zone, obstructing police work, throwing stones, and participating in confrontations in Majdal Shams in the occupied Syrian Golan on the anniversary of the setback.”
He was also arrested in June 2021 in Jerusalem due to a speech he gave at a demonstration in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, and Israel charged him with an indictment that included “incitement to violence and terrorism through Facebook posts.”
Among the founding leaders is Salibi, who led the movement’s affairs in 2011, as part of a step to unify its two parts, and was elected on July 5, 2015, as head of the political bureau.
As for Saffuri, he is one of the most prominent leaders of the movement. The occupation forces arrested him on charges of killing soldier Natan Zadeh in 2005, and released him on June 18, 2015.
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