[News] Movement Mourns the Passing of Dr. George Habash

Mon Jan 28 17:50:41 EST 2008

Farewell Hakeem!

With the passing of Dr. George Habash, the Arab people as a whole
along with peoples of the world struggling for liberation have
painfully lost one of the towering legends of decolonization.  Dr.
Habash, popularly known as Al-Hakeem in dual reference to him being a
medical doctor and the conscience of the Palestinian movement, is
unmatched in Arab history.  He is the quintessential intersection of
Palestinian democratic nationalism, pan-Arabism, progressive
internationalism, and egalitarianism.  Yet, even such monumental
attributes are but a small part of Al-Hakeem's legacy.  It is his
unparalleled principled character, humility, love for his comrades and
people, and unblemished history that coin him as the archetypical
revolutionary leader.

 From the day he became a refugee in 1948, to founding the Arab
Nationalist Movement and subsequently the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine, to emerging as one of the most beloved
Palestinian Arab revolutionaries in the seventies, to his final
departure in Amman, Jordan, Abu Maysa's 83-year journey is that of
Palestine itself.

While many barter for mere crumbs the entirety of their once-existing
principles, Abu Maysa gave up none - not an ounce.  As purported
"leaders" construct palaces through thievery from which to command
their gangs of fear, he died just as he lived, in modesty, humility,
and enormous dignity.  This is a leader who set the highest example by
voluntarily vacating his top political seat while at the peak of his
popularity.

Al-Hakeem transcended all organizations, political parties,
nation-states, and borders.  He spoke loudly for the deprived, fought
for the needy, and healed the wounds of the poor.  He was Palestinian
in heart, Arab in blood, and egalitarian in his principles.  He leaves
a legacy of internationalism situating the Palestinian struggle within
an anti-imperialist struggle that transcends the borders of any one
state.

Al-Hakeem shunned chauvinists and embraced democratic nationalist who
valued unity and home-grown socialism.  He rejected the blind
mechanical importation of political theory, and argued that it must
evolve from our particular Arab conditions.  He understood the
colonial nature of Zionism as an agent of imperial dominance while
also recognizing that it is served by functionaries and servants from
within the Arab rank.  He was an ardent advocate of the inseparable
duality between national liberation and social equality.

Unlike others, Al-Hakeem never saluted a Zionist, never "negotiated"
under the Israeli flag, never traded kisses with our people's killers,
never knelt before a king, and never stretched a hand in beggary.  He
remained true to his belief, never oscillating from one political camp
to the next in search of a seat of power.  Abu Maysa lived and died
never distinguishing along religious lines.  He was deeply entrenched
in the cumulative totality of our Arab history from the Gulf to the
Ocean.  And while the wretched of our people searched for meager
pieces of bread and drops of clean water throughout the Gaza Strip and
the camps of exile, he did not reside in a palace, nor did he enjoy
pay-offs of treason.

Ironically, the passing of this exemplary unifying pan-Arabist legend
comes at a time when our people in Gaza are tearing down fences to
join hands with the Egyptian Arab people across imposed colonial
divides.  How sad it is to loose George Habash at a time when true
leadership is scarce and despots are many.  How painful it is to loose
such a visionary at a time when our people appear to be led by local
agents of Empire.   How devastating it is to loose an icon of
integrity and pride, when Arab pride is trampled every day,
particularly by its presumed custodians.  And how untimely his loss is
when the need to enhance the democratic pan-Arab nationalist
alternative is an existential necessity in today's era of right wing
ascendancy.

With the loss of this refugee from the town of Lid, we are all
painfully so much less, yet due to his life and legacy we are all so
much more.

How easy it is to pretend to be a revolutionary during times of
luxury, and how almost impossible it is to live and die as one during
impossible times.  Such is painstakingly achieved only by the select
few, of whom El Hakeem is undoubtedly unmatched.

Farewell Abu Maysa!The struggle continues...

The Free Palestine Alliance
January 26, 2008

For Immediate Release
January 27, 2008

Al-Awda Mourns the Passing of Dr. George Habash

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition, mourns the passing of
Dr. George Habash. We also celebrate his life and resistance as one of the
most influential and principled leaders of the Arab struggle for liberation,
unity, and equality. Dr. Habash never wavered from the path that we,
as Palestinians, have the right and duty to return and reclaim our homeland,
stolen from us in 1948 by the combined forces of European Zionism and
Western imperialism. Dr. Habash's political work found expression in the
creation of the Arab Nationalist Movement followed by The Popular Front for
the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). He never wavered from his belief in the
popular (people's) struggle, and that it was the people themselves who
determined their destiny.

Dr. Habash was an outspoken opponent of the Oslo accords and of all the
capitulation schemes for accommodating the occupier. After the formation of
the Palestinian Authority he stated "Ramallah and Gaza are parts of my
beloved Palestine and they are so dear to me, but I want to go back to LYD,
my city". He also made it clear that he would never return to any part of
Palestine while his city was under occupation. Dr. Habash believed his
return was non-negotiable: "You can negotiate as you want but my right to
return is not for any president to discuss."

Dr. Habash was always confident that the future belongs to our Arab nation.
When asked in 1998 of the message that he wanted to pass to future
generations, his response was: "human history moves in a progressive
direction. I say that confidently and hopefully. But hopes, wishes, and
dreams alone will not achieve our objectives. One cannot roll back the wheel
of history, but we can make sure that the lessons of the past are not
dissipated. History is a register open to whoever has the determination and
ability to merit an entry therein. I am full of hope that the generations of
our children and grandchildren will have a future that is brighter than our
present."

The prelude to that brighter future became manifest last week in Gaza. As
Dr. Habash was enduring his final illness, the people of Gaza
broke down the wall at the Rafah crossing with Egypt. The Palestinian
Arab people, welcomed by their Arab Egyptian brothers and sisters, broke
through a barrier that was used to maintain the months' long siege of murder
and starvation by the occupiers of our land. This defiance and brave
resistance to 60 years of dispossession and occupation has uplifted our
struggle and brought us closer to our return. They are a fitting tribute to
the work and life of Dr. Habash. May he rest in peace.

Until return,

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
PO Box 131352
Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA
Tel: 760-685-3243
Fax: 360-933-3568
E-mail: <mailto:info at al-awda.org>info at al-awda.org
http://al-awda.org

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition (PRRC) is the largest
network of grassroots activists and students dedicated to Palestinian human
rights. We are a not for profit tax-exempt educational and charitable
501(c)(3) organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of
the United States of America. Under IRS guidelines, your donations to PRRC
are tax-deductible. To make a donation, go to
<http://al-awda.org/donate.html>http://al-awda.org/donate.html
and follow the simple instructions.
-------------------
Save the Date!
Sixth Annual International Al-Awda Convention
On The 60th Year of Al Nakba
Anaheim, California
May 16-18, 2008
<http://www.al-awda.org/convention6>http://www.al-awda.org/convention6

From:   <mailto:jess.ghannam at gmail.com>jess.ghannam at gmail.com
Subject: [Al-Awda-SF] Farewell Hakeem!
Date: 27 January 2008 12:35:07 GMT-08:00

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