George Habash never saluted a Zionist, never "negotiated" under the Israeli flag, never traded kisses with his people's killers, never knelt before a king, and never stretched a hand in beggary.
By Yousef Abudayyeh
Special to PalestineChronicle.com
"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.....
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 lose George Habash at a time when true leadership is scarce and despots are many. How painful it is to lose such a visionary at a time when our people appear to be led by local agents of Empire. How devastating it is to lose 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..."
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