Organization of Lebanese Socialists

This tendency, led by Naif Hawatmeh, argued that the ANM ought to adopt a Marxist outlook.

This was opposed by the top ANM leader George Habash who, although being open to introducing Marxist concepts like imperialism into the discourse of the ANM, wanted to retain the anti-Communist character of the organization.

[2] As the central leadership of ANM had shifted to Damascus, the Lebanese branch began to function more autonomously.

The official ANM organ al-Hurriya ('Freedom'), of which Ibrahim had become editor in 1960, became a de facto mouthpiece for the Marxist sector.

The viewpoint of the Organization of Lebanese Socialists on the split were formulated in the pamphlet Limadha Munaẓẓamah al-ištirākiyyin al-lubnāniyyin (literally, "Why the Organization of Lebanese Socialists?").