The spectrum of Palestinian groups have expressed gratitude to late Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro as a friend of Palestine’s struggle for liberation, .
The left-wing Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine was among the first Palestinian groups to issue a statement mourning the death of Fidel and highlighting his constant support of “the oppressed peoples of the world in their confrontation with imperialism, Zionism, racism and capitalism”.
In a statement on its website, the group said that under Fidel’s leadership, “Cuba stood with the Palestinian people and their liberation movement in all facets of international struggle, building a revolutionary alliance for collective movement against imperialism, colonialism and its particular manifestation in Palestine, Zionism.
“Zionism has been a key weapon of racist oppression, a fact recognized by Fidel Castro and the Cuban people and state.”
Diplomatic ties between Cuba and Palestine began after the Cuban Revolution in 1959 when Raul Castro and Che Guevara visited the Gaza Strip. Fidel invited late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat to Cuba eight times, where the Cuban leader “always welcomed (Arafat) like he was a head of state," Palestinian officials told Al-Jazeera.
Cuba broke diplomatic relations with Israel in 1973.