The Day Leila Khaled Visited a Venezuelan Commune

In recent years, I’ve had the privilege of visiting El Panal Commune, a revolutionary stronghold nestled in the concrete jungle of Caracas. Here, the working-class community continues resisting the US blockade while building a sovereign project prioritizing life over capital.

Venezuelan communes embody a profound anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist spirit, serving as what Hugo Chávez described as the “building blocks” for constructing a socialist society where people have agency over their territories, their lives and means of production.

Established in 2006, El Panal is a beacon of revolution, featuring vibrant political, economic, and educational programs and transformations. I’ve always known and admired this, but I confess that it wasn’t until the legendary Palestinian fighter Leila Khaled visited El Panal on November 30, 2024, that I truly understood the significance of communes—not just for Venezuela’s socialist aspirations but for the future of humanity. 

During the unveiling of a mural featuring the iconic photo from her hijacking of TWA Flight 840 in 1969, Leila profoundly linked the Venezuelan communes to the Palestinian struggle for freedom and dignity. She remarked, “I feel envy—a healthy envy, though—because we still cannot achieve this” and said that the flourishing of these self-governed popular spaces meant that the Venezuelan people “felt free in their territory.”

As we all know, more than 700,000 Palestinians, three-quarters of the native population, were displaced from their homes during the 1948 Nakba when Israeli colonizers settled in Palestinian territories. Countless Palestinian towns and villages were destroyed through massacres and violence, and those who were forced to leave were never allowed to return. Leila was one of them.

Born on April 9, 1944, in Haifa, Mandatory Palestine, Leila and her family fled to Lebanon on April 13, 1948, with only her father staying behind. At just 15, she joined the Arab Nationalist Movement (ANM), with its Palestinian branch later becoming the armed and Marxist-Leninist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

As an active guerrilla fighter, Leila became the first woman to hijack a plane in 1969. Her iconic photograph—smiling while holding an AK-47 rifle and wearing a keffiyeh—has become a symbol of resistance for Palestinians and people around the world. She later participated in another hijacking, which led to her imprisonment in the UK, from which she was eventually liberated in a prisoner exchange. In the following decades, she continued to fight tirelessly for the Palestinian liberation cause.

Needless to say, Leila truly embodies the global anti-imperialist struggle.

The injustices of the Nakba have never ceased, and the US-backed Israeli settler-colonial project continues to deeply affect the Palestinian people, who have relentlessly fought to protect their lives, identity, culture, homes, and lands. They have endured decades of ethnic cleansing, an apartheid system reminiscent of South Africa, and the ongoing genocide in Gaza, which has claimed over 50,000 lives, including thousands of children.

Surrounded by communards from El Panal, Leila encouraged them to continue building this “new and creative” experience, drawing from her own experience as a Marxist and a guerrilla fighter against imperialist cruelty. “You are on the socialist path, and through this, you can protect the economy, and your children, and secure a place to live.”

Her words resonate with me as they clarify how Venezuelan communes represent the future of our country, which is gradually moving toward grassroots democracy where power lies in the hands of the people. This approach is vital to overcoming the imperialist blockade and combating the neverending aggression that has cost lives and forced many to migrate.

“In the name of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, I congratulate you on this project and the tremendous work you are doing; this is the future for generations to come. This is the foundation upon which the socialist project stands,” Leila expressed with emotion.

She further emphasized that communes are “the path to freedom and dignity.” In this spirit, she united the struggles of Venezuela and Palestine as our dignities are intertwined and our victories are shared. Both our peoples, but especially the people in Gaza, have exposed how the “Yankee enemies” export terrorism to the world.

After this poignant moment, Leila promised to share the story of Venezuelan communes with the people of Gaza, reminding them that one day they “will replicate these communes in a free Palestine.” Her optimism has fueled my own spirit of struggle and I am sure now that one day we will visit and celebrate alongside our Palestinian brothers and sisters.

Leila, the Venezuelan people admire you, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. May we all have your steadfastness. Free Palestine! Long live sovereign Venezuela!

Andreína Chávez Alava was born in Maracaibo and studied journalism at the University of Zulia, graduating in 2012. She immediately started working as a writer and producer at a local radio station while also taking part in local and international solidarity struggles.

In 2014 she joined TeleSUR, where in six years she rose through the ranks to become editor-in-chief, overseeing news, analysis and multimedia content. Currently based in Caracas, she joined Venezuelanalysis in March 2021 as a writer and social media manager and is a member of Venezuelan artist collective Utopix. Her main interests are popular and feminist struggles.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Venezuelanalysis editorial staff.