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Farewell Hakeem!<br><br>
With the passing of Dr. George Habash, the Arab people as a whole<br>
along with peoples of the world struggling for liberation have<br>
painfully lost one of the towering legends of decolonization.
Dr.<br>
Habash, popularly known as Al-Hakeem in dual reference to him being
a<br>
medical doctor and the conscience of the Palestinian movement, is<br>
unmatched in Arab history. He is the quintessential intersection
of<br>
Palestinian democratic nationalism, pan-Arabism, progressive<br>
internationalism, and egalitarianism. Yet, even such
monumental<br>
attributes are but a small part of Al-Hakeem's legacy. It is
his<br>
unparalleled principled character, humility, love for his comrades
and<br>
people, and unblemished history that coin him as the archetypical<br>
revolutionary leader.<br><br>
From the day he became a refugee in 1948, to founding the Arab<br>
Nationalist Movement and subsequently the Popular Front for the<br>
Liberation of Palestine, to emerging as one of the most beloved<br>
Palestinian Arab revolutionaries in the seventies, to his final<br>
departure in Amman, Jordan, Abu Maysa's 83-year journey is that of<br>
Palestine itself.<br><br>
While many barter for mere crumbs the entirety of their
once-existing<br>
principles, Abu Maysa gave up none - not an ounce. As
purported<br>
"leaders" construct palaces through thievery from which to
command<br>
their gangs of fear, he died just as he lived, in modesty, humility,<br>
and enormous dignity. This is a leader who set the highest example
by<br>
voluntarily vacating his top political seat while at the peak of his<br>
popularity.<br><br>
Al-Hakeem transcended all organizations, political parties,<br>
nation-states, and borders. He spoke loudly for the deprived,
fought<br>
for the needy, and healed the wounds of the poor. He was
Palestinian<br>
in heart, Arab in blood, and egalitarian in his principles. He
leaves<br>
a legacy of internationalism situating the Palestinian struggle
within<br>
an anti-imperialist struggle that transcends the borders of any one<br>
state.<br><br>
Al-Hakeem shunned chauvinists and embraced democratic nationalist
who<br>
valued unity and home-grown socialism. He rejected the blind<br>
mechanical importation of political theory, and argued that it must<br>
evolve from our particular Arab conditions. He understood the<br>
colonial nature of Zionism as an agent of imperial dominance while<br>
also recognizing that it is served by functionaries and servants
from<br>
within the Arab rank. He was an ardent advocate of the
inseparable<br>
duality between national liberation and social equality.<br><br>
Unlike others, Al-Hakeem never saluted a Zionist, never
"negotiated"<br>
under the Israeli flag, never traded kisses with our people's
killers,<br>
never knelt before a king, and never stretched a hand in beggary.
He<br>
remained true to his belief, never oscillating from one political
camp<br>
to the next in search of a seat of power. Abu Maysa lived and
died<br>
never distinguishing along religious lines. He was deeply
entrenched<br>
in the cumulative totality of our Arab history from the Gulf to the<br>
Ocean. And while the wretched of our people searched for
meager<br>
pieces of bread and drops of clean water throughout the Gaza Strip
and<br>
the camps of exile, he did not reside in a palace, nor did he enjoy<br>
pay-offs of treason.<br><br>
Ironically, the passing of this exemplary unifying pan-Arabist
legend<br>
comes at a time when our people in Gaza are tearing down fences to<br>
join hands with the Egyptian Arab people across imposed colonial<br>
divides. How sad it is to loose George Habash at a time when
true<br>
leadership is scarce and despots are many. How painful it is to
loose<br>
such a visionary at a time when our people appear to be led by local<br>
agents of Empire. How devastating it is to loose an icon
of<br>
integrity and pride, when Arab pride is trampled every day,<br>
particularly by its presumed custodians. And how untimely his loss
is<br>
when the need to enhance the democratic pan-Arab nationalist<br>
alternative is an existential necessity in today's era of right wing<br>
ascendancy.<br><br>
With the loss of this refugee from the town of Lid, we are all<br>
painfully so much less, yet due to his life and legacy we are all so<br>
much more.<br><br>
How easy it is to pretend to be a revolutionary during times of<br>
luxury, and how almost impossible it is to live and die as one
during<br>
impossible times. Such is painstakingly achieved only by the
select<br>
few, of whom El Hakeem is undoubtedly unmatched.<br><br>
Farewell Abu Maysa!The struggle continues...<br><br>
The Free Palestine Alliance<br>
January 26, 2008<br><br>
<br><br>
For Immediate Release<br>
January 27, 2008<br><br>
Al-Awda Mourns the Passing of Dr. George Habash<br><br>
Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition, mourns the passing
of<br>
Dr. George Habash. We also celebrate his life and resistance as one of
the<br>
most influential and principled leaders of the Arab struggle for
liberation,<br>
unity, and equality. Dr. Habash never wavered from the path that we,<br>
as Palestinians, have the right and duty to return and reclaim our
homeland,<br>
stolen from us in 1948 by the combined forces of European Zionism
and<br>
Western imperialism. Dr. Habash's political work found expression in
the<br>
creation of the Arab Nationalist Movement followed by The Popular Front
for<br>
the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). He never wavered from his belief in
the<br>
popular (people's) struggle, and that it was the people themselves
who<br>
determined their destiny.<br><br>
Dr. Habash was an outspoken opponent of the Oslo accords and of all
the<br>
capitulation schemes for accommodating the occupier. After the formation
of<br>
the Palestinian Authority he stated "Ramallah and Gaza are parts of
my<br>
beloved Palestine and they are so dear to me, but I want to go back to
LYD,<br>
my city". He also made it clear that he would never return to any
part of<br>
Palestine while his city was under occupation. Dr. Habash believed
his<br>
return was non-negotiable: "You can negotiate as you want but my
right to<br>
return is not for any president to discuss."<br><br>
Dr. Habash was always confident that the future belongs to our Arab
nation.<br>
When asked in 1998 of the message that he wanted to pass to future<br>
generations, his response was: "human history moves in a
progressive<br>
direction. I say that confidently and hopefully. But hopes, wishes,
and<br>
dreams alone will not achieve our objectives. One cannot roll back the
wheel<br>
of history, but we can make sure that the lessons of the past are
not<br>
dissipated. History is a register open to whoever has the determination
and<br>
ability to merit an entry therein. I am full of hope that the generations
of<br>
our children and grandchildren will have a future that is brighter than
our<br>
present."<br><br>
The prelude to that brighter future became manifest last week in Gaza.
As<br>
Dr. Habash was enduring his final illness, the people of Gaza<br>
broke down the wall at the Rafah crossing with Egypt. The
Palestinian<br>
Arab people, welcomed by their Arab Egyptian brothers and sisters,
broke<br>
through a barrier that was used to maintain the months' long siege of
murder<br>
and starvation by the occupiers of our land. This defiance and brave<br>
resistance to 60 years of dispossession and occupation has uplifted
our<br>
struggle and brought us closer to our return. They are a fitting tribute
to<br>
the work and life of Dr. Habash. May he rest in peace.<br><br>
Until return,<br><br>
Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition<br>
PO Box 131352<br>
Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA<br>
Tel: 760-685-3243<br>
Fax: 360-933-3568<br>
E-mail: <a href="mailto:info@al-awda.org">info@al-awda.org</a><br>
<a href="http://al-awda.org/" eudora="autourl">http://al-awda.org<br><br>
</a>Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition (PRRC) is the
largest<br>
network of grassroots activists and students dedicated to Palestinian
human<br>
rights. We are a not for profit tax-exempt educational and
charitable<br>
501(c)(3) organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
of<br>
the United States of America. Under IRS guidelines, your donations to
PRRC<br>
are tax-deductible. To make a donation, go to<br>
<a href="http://al-awda.org/donate.html">
http://al-awda.org/donate.html</a><br>
and follow the simple instructions.<br>
-------------------<br>
Save the Date!<br>
Sixth Annual International Al-Awda Convention<br>
On The 60th Year of Al Nakba<br>
Anaheim, California<br>
May 16-18, 2008<br>
<a href="http://www.al-awda.org/convention6">
http://www.al-awda.org/convention6</a><br><br>
<br>
From:
<a href="mailto:jess.ghannam@gmail.com">jess.ghannam@gmail.com</a><br>
Subject: [Al-Awda-SF] Farewell Hakeem!<br>
Date: 27 January 2008 12:35:07 GMT-08:00<br><br>
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