THE SHRINKING MAP OF PALESTINE Tap a year below. The land drains away in place. Select a year 1920194819672026 ← Earlier1 of 4Later → Share …
Kofia · Göteborg · Swedish solidarity song
Leve Palestina, Krossa SionismenEnglish Lyrics and Translation
“Leve Palestina” is a Swedish-language solidarity song written and performed by Kofia, a Swedish-Palestinian band from Göteborg. It has been recorded by several other artists since, including Medina, and has found a second life on social media as a protest anthem.
Wording varies between recordings and live versions. Below is the most widely circulated Swedish text, set alongside a line-by-line English translation, followed by the story of where the song came from.
Leve Palestina, krossa sionismen
Leve Palestina och krossa sionismen
Leve Palestina och krossa sionismen
Leve, leve, leve Palestina
Leve, leve, leve Palestina
Leve Palestina och krossa sionismen
Leve Palestina och krossa sionismen
Och vi har odlat jorden
Och vi har skördat vetet
Vi har plockat citronerna
Och pressad oliverna
Och hela världen känner till vår jord
Och hela världen känner till vår jord
Leve, leve, leve Palestina
Leve, leve, leve Palestina
Leve Palestina och krossa sionismen
Leve Palestina och krossa sionismen
Och vi har kastat stenar på
soldater och poliser
Och vi har skjutit raketer
mot våra fiender
Och hela världen känner till vår kamp
Och hela världen känner till vår kamp
Leve, leve, leve Palestina
Leve, leve, leve Palestina
Leve Palestina och krossa sionismen
Leve Palestina och krossa sionismen
Och vi ska befria vårt land
från imperialismen
Och vi ska bygga up vårt land
till socialismen
Och hella världen kommer att bevittna
Och hella världen kommer att bevittna
Leve, leve, leve Palestina
Leve, leve, leve Palestina
Leve Palestina och krossa sionismen
Leve Palestina och krossa sionismen
Leve Palestina och krossa sionismen
Leve Palestina och krossa sionismen
Leve Palestina och krossa sionismen
Leve Palestina, krossa sionismen
Long live Palestine and crush Zionism
Long live Palestine and crush Zionism
Long, long, long live Palestine
Long, long, long live Palestine
Long live Palestine and crush Zionism
Long live Palestine and crush Zionism
And we have cultivated the earth
And we have harvested the wheat
We have picked the lemons
And pressed the olives
And the whole world knows our soil
And the whole world knows our soil
Long, long, long live Palestine
Long, long, long live Palestine
Long live Palestine and crush Zionism
Long live Palestine and crush Zionism
And we have thrown stones at
Soldiers and police
And we have fired missiles
At our enemies
And the whole world knows our struggle
And the whole world knows our struggle
Long, long, long live Palestine
Long, long, long live Palestine
Long live Palestine and crush Zionism
Long live Palestine and crush Zionism
And we will liberate our land
From imperialism
And we will build our land
To socialism
And the whole world will witness
And the whole world will witness
Long, long, long live Palestine
Long, long, long live Palestine
Long live Palestine and crush Zionism
Long live Palestine and crush Zionism
Long live Palestine and crush Zionism
Long live Palestine and crush Zionism
Long live Palestine and crush Zionism
Kofia · Göteborg
The story behind the song
Music can become an anthem for a cause, echoing the sentiments of many and amplifying their voices. “Leve Palestina” is one such song, resonating with people who stand in solidarity with Palestine.
It is the work of Kofia, a Swedish-Palestinian band based in Göteborg. Active through the late 1970s and early 1980s, the group used music as a platform to express solidarity with Palestine, producing songs that have since become anthems for pro-Palestinian movements.
The name ‘Kofia’ (كوفية) is itself a reference to the Palestinian scarf, underlining where the band stood. Their music is rooted in the struggle for Palestinian rights and carries a clear commitment to justice and equality.
The title translates as “Long Live Palestine”. The song has gained recognition well beyond Sweden, and its rhythm and directness have made it a rallying cry internationally.
The band’s album closes with “Baladi” (‘My homeland’), a traditional melody given new lyrics by Totari centred on the right of return to Deir Yassin and Galilee — a reflection of the band’s wider focus on displacement and return.
What makes “Leve Palestina” endure is not only the tune but the message it carries: resilience, resistance, and the persistence of a people who have not been allowed to forget where they came from.
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