Sunday, January 27

Farewell Hakeem

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


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