Scholar Discussed PLO Research at Yale

Professor Jonathan Gribetz presented an analysis of historical PLO views on antisemitism in New Haven.

Updated on Sept. 24, 2026 in Judaism

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Professor Jonathan Gribetz delivered a lecture at Yale University examining how PLO researchers in Beirut historically analyzed Zionism and antisemitism. The talk explored intellectual findings from the 1970s that distinguished between anti-Zionism and antisemitism.

Why it matters

The lecture highlights complex, often overlooked historical moments where different political groups evaluated their counterparts' ideologies. By analyzing these archives, researchers aim to uncover inconvenient truths about the intellectual history of Middle Eastern political movements.

The lecture saw 40 in-person attendees at the Humanities Quadrangle. This followed historical findings from the PLO Research Center, which operated in Beirut starting in 1970.

The players

Jonathan Gribetz

He is a scholar who authored the book Reading Herzl in Beirut/The PLO Effort to Know the Enemy.

Yale Program for the Study of Antisemitism

This is a specialized academic program at Yale University that hosts scholars to research and discuss the history of antisemitism.

The details

Gribetz based his analysis on Arabic language sources detailing the work of the PLO Research Center during its active period in Beirut. The presentation detailed how researchers at that time formally repudiated the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and defined Jews as a religious community in the 1964 and 1968 charters.

1970 marks the founding of the PLO Research Center in Beirut.
The intellectual output of the center spanned from 1964 through the 1980s.
Jonathan Gribetz delivered the lecture at Yale on September 23, 2026.

Culture Shift

The research updates our understanding of the 1964 and 1968 PLO charters by contrasting their public language with the internal intellectual work performed in Beirut. This shift challenges simple narratives about historical political stances by demonstrating how even ideologically opposed groups engaged in rigorous study of their rivals.

Residents and students in New Haven can access future scholarly programming through the Yale Program for the Study of Antisemitism. These events provide opportunities to engage with primary source research regarding international political history.

The takeaway

Understanding the intellectual history of political movements requires looking past official charters to the research produced behind the scenes. This approach helps identify the discrepancies between political posturing and the actual analysis performed by historical organizations.