Why Does the Western Left Support Palestine? Secular Solidarity, the Crisis of Representation, and the Orientalist Paradox in the Case of the British Labour Party

Öz

From the perspective of the sociology of religion, this article problematises the complex and contradictory relationship between the Western left, whose political reason is largely built upon secular codes, and the Palestinian cause, which is centred on religious identity and references. The study adopts the British Labour Party as a case study. Its methodological framework is grounded in a critical historical analysis informed by the Foucauldian tradition of genealogy. This methodology aims to deconstruct the established narrative that presents the Western left's relationship with Palestine as an inevitable solidarity. By doing so, it exposes the secular-religious tensions, power relations, and ideological paradoxes beneath this account. The findings of the research reveal how the left evolved from its initial support for Zionism to a radical pro-Palestinian stance in the post-1967 period and the internal tensions it experienced throughout this process. In the context of internal divisions that deepened particularly after 7 October 2023 and the quests for geopolitical repositioning, the September 2025 decision to recognise Palestine as a state is thus interpreted not as a simple act of solidarity but as a multi-layered political manoeuvre aimed at both managing internal legitimacy and assuming a new role in global politics. The article concludes that the fundamental contradiction between the Western left's anti-imperialist discourse and its colonial legacy leads to a profound crisis of representation, fueled by the secular mind’s incapacity to understand public religion. When speaking on behalf of Palestinians, the left often disregards the right to self-determination of the very subject it supports; within a “Protestant secular” logical framework, it either subjects religious references to economic reductionism or perceives them as a threat. This paternalistic attitude demonstrates that the left's practice of solidarity remains trapped in a paradox, whereby it reproduces the very Orientalist power dynamics it claims to critique. By revealing the structural impasses of a secular political reason in its endeavour to understand and represent a struggle imbued with religious references, this analysis offers an original contribution to the sociology of religion literature. Consequently, this study argues that a principled and consistent solidarity will only be possible if the left confronts its colonial legacy, reconfigures its relations of representation, and assesses the legitimacy of religio-political expressions within a rights-based framework.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Sociology of Religion
• Palestine Solidarity
• Western Left
• Labour Party
• Secularism
• Anti-imperialism
• Orientalism
• Postcolonialism
• Crisis of Representation

Batı Solu Filistin'i Niçin Destekliyor? İngiliz İşçi Partisi Örneğinde Seküler Dayanışma, Temsil Krizi ve Oryantalist Paradoks

Öz

Bu makale, politik aklını büyük ölçüde seküler kodlar üzerine inşa eden Batı solunun, merkezinde dinî kimlik ve referansların yer aldığı Filistin davasıyla kurduğu karmaşık ve çelişkili ilişkiyi din sosyolojisi perspektifinden sorunsallaştırmaktadır. Çalışma, vaka analizi olarak İngiliz İşçi Partisi’ni (Labour Party) ele almakta ve metodolojik çerçevesini Foucaultcu soykütük geleneğine dayalı eleştirel bir tarihsel analiz yaklaşımı üzerine kurmaktadır. Bu metodoloji, Batı solunun Filistin’le ilişkisini kaçınılmaz bir dayanışma olarak sunan yerleşik anlatıyı yapıbozuma uğratarak bu anlatının ardındaki seküler-dini gerilimleri, iktidar ilişkilerini ve ideolojik paradoksları ortaya çıkarmayı amaçlamaktadır. Araştırmanın bulguları, solun Siyonizm’e ilk desteğinden 1967 sonrası radikal bir Filistin yanlısı tutuma nasıl evrildiğini ve bu süreçte ne gibi iç gerilimler yaşadığını gözler önüne sermektedir. Özellikle 7 Ekim 2023 sonrası derinleşen iç bölünmeler ve jeopolitik yeniden konumlanma arayışları bağlamında, Eylül 2025'te Filistin'i devlet olarak tanıma kararı da basit bir dayanışma eyleminden ziyade, hem iç meşruiyeti yönetmeyi hem de küresel siyasette yeni bir rol üstlenmeyi hedefleyen çok katmanlı bir siyasî hamle olarak okunmaktadır. Makale, Batı solunun anti-emperyalist söylemiyle sömürgeci mirası arasındaki temel çelişkinin, seküler aklın kamusal dini anlama kapasitesindeki yetersizlikten beslenen derin bir temsil krizine yol açtığı sonucuna varmaktadır. Batı solu, Filistinliler adına konuşurken, desteklediği öznenin kendi kaderini tayin hakkını sıklıkla göz ardı etmekte; "Protestan seküler" bir mantık çerçevesinde, dinî referansları ya ekonomik indirgemeciliğe tabi tutmakta ya da bir tehdit olarak algılamaktadır. Bu vesayetçi tavır, solun dayanışma pratiğinin, eleştirdiğini iddia ettiği Oryantalist güç dinamiklerini yeniden üreten bir paradoks içinde sıkışıp kaldığını göstermektedir. Bu analiz, seküler bir siyasî aklın, dinî referanslarla yüklü bir mücadeleyi anlama ve temsil etme çabasındaki yapısal açmazları ortaya koyarak din sosyolojisi literatürüne özgün bir katkı sunmaktadır. Sonuç olarak bu çalışma, ilkesel ve tutarlı bir dayanışmanın ancak solun sömürgecilik mirasıyla hesaplaşması, temsil ilişkilerini yeniden kurgulaması ve dinî‑politik ifadelerin meşruiyetini hak temelli bir çerçevede değerlendirmesiyle mümkün olacağını savunmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Din Sosyolojisi
• Filistin Dayanışması
• Batı Solu
• İşçi Partisi
• Sekülerizm
• Anti-emperyalizm
• Oryantalizm
• Postkolonyalizm
• Temsil Krizi

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