The death of Yasser Arafat on French soil marks the end of an era and the beginning of a new one. Revered by much of his people as King Faisal of Saudi Arabia or President Gamal Abdul Nasser of Egypt were, this man embodied the spirit of collective resistance for almost 50 years against the most brutal and hedonistic aggression against civilians in recent history.
He rose at a time when his people were being systematically driven out of their homes and lands by Jewish settlers. Using aggressive tactics that were similarly employed by those early Jewish settlers including suicide bombings, Arafat soon put the plight of the Palestinians on the world agenda.
He exposed the light of Zion for what it was — a devious plan to drive the Palestinians away from their lands through the spread of violence and terror, and supplant them with Jewish settlers from other countries. And while they initially fled in droves, the Palestinians soon found a voice of courage and determination rising from this diminutive man who soon became a worldwide symbol of resistance against the Israeli aggressors.
From the razing of homes to the mass murder of refugees in Sabra and Shatilla, the Israeli onslaught continued throughout his rule. And yet he did not falter or surrender.
The Israeli forces, generously supplied with the might of US armor, failed to make a dent in his convictions. When turning the other cheek did not work with the Israelis, Arafat resorted to action. And while he made mistakes as any human would, he did not waver from the cause of his people.
Arafat’s stand was eventually recognized and merited by the bestowing of the Nobel Peace Prize back in 1994. As his Foreign Minister Nabil Saath put it soon after his death, “Arafat gave us a sense of dignity, made us realize that we are a nation, and persuaded the whole world to recognize us as such. Even the Israelis who never mentioned the word Palestinian ended up accepting that we are a people, a nation.”
Surrounded by Israeli forces for the past three years, Arafat remained defiant to the end. This was not a leader who sought refuge in some distant country. He preferred to face the onslaught of terror face up.
I watched the departure of his body from Paris. And the subsequent analysis on this figure on the various networks. The European media generally portrayed Arafat as a freedom fighter, a man who stood fast and strong on the principle of self-rule for the Palestinians. BBC and Sky News ran historical clips on the man through his rise and subsequent earning of the title of “father of his nation”. And not surprisingly, the pitiful US media chose to dwell on Arafat as a man of violence. There will be many eulogies in the days and months to come, for very few men have historically altered the course of events and stood up for their people as Arafat had. And perhaps it was best summed up by a Palestinian griever outside the airport in Paris, “Arafat’s body may have left us all, but here,” and pointing to his chest he continued, “he will live on forever.” In death, neither Bush nor Sharon could ever hope to earn such unsolicited accolades. Their epitaph would forever be marred by murder, mayhem and deceit.
Yes, Arafat had left the Palestinians with optimism and more resolve. The light of Palestinian statehood and the return of their illegally usurped lands shall one day come to being. For the hope and determination you have bestowed upon your people, I salute you, Yasser Arafat. And may God have mercy on your soul.
