A WORD OF
RESPECT
PRESIDENT YASSER ARAFAT
“Then I looked again at all the injustice that goes on in this world. The oppressed were crying, and no one would help them. No one would help them, because their oppressors had power on their side” (Ecclesiastes 4:1).
Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center Jerusalem
joins millions of its Palestinian brothers and sisters in
For
forty years Arafat struggled for the liberation of his beloved country,
Palestine. He was the father figure of
the Palestinians. In his life, Arafat
traveled the world tirelessly presenting the just case of his people. He met with kings and queens, presidents and
prime ministers. He represented the
Palestinians before many international forums, not least the United Nations. He was able to wrest international
recognition of the right of the Palestinian people to a sovereign and
independent state. For his faithful
endeavors in seeking peace, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He came to embody and personify the struggle
of his people. The Arabs in general and
the Palestinians in particular saw Arafat symbolizing and epitomizing the
spirit of Palestine. Through his hard
work and persistence, the Palestinian people regained their Palestinian
identity.
Mr.
Arafat hoped to achieve peace with justice in his lifetime. He worked hard to
bring about the end of the illegal Israeli occupation of his homeland. The pressure, however, was always on him to
make more concessions to Israel in spite of the fact that Israel continues to
devour most of the Palestinian land on the West Bank including East Jerusalem
as well as in the Gaza Strip. He was
willing to make and accept peace with Israel – “the peace of the brave” –
provided that Israel withdraws from all the territories it occupied in the 1967
war so that a viable, sovereign, independent, and democratic Palestine would be
established alongside the state of Israel.
The government of Israel, however, never wanted to implement the
stipulations of international law and the many United Nations’ resolutions
regarding Palestine. In faithfulness to
his people and their legitimate rights, Arafat would not consent to further
concessions and had to pay the price of political and physical isolation.
Arafat
was forced into internal exile and the Israeli army demolished most of his
Ramallah compound. Yet he preferred to
live in a small area of his delapidated building rather than to betray his own
people by making a false and untenable peace that will never endure.
During
more than three years of confinement he continued to receive people, local and
international, into his small compound.
He welcomed them with his usual graciousness, spoke to them about the
injustice, and stretched out his hand for an honorable peace that would end the
long Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and usher in the establishment of
the Palestinian state for both Muslims and Christians. Under the weight of enormous
responsibilities, political pressures, and tight Israeli army restrictions, his
health gave in and he sought medical attention in France. Fourteen days later he died.
The
French Government honored him as a head of state. The Egyptian government and the Arab League
paid their last respect in an awesome and stirring funeral in Cairo on
Mr.
Arafat died lifting his voice for the liberation of Palestine. While awaiting his funeral, a little Palestinian
boy was interviewed on TV. He was
wearing the kufiah, the Palestinian head dress, as President Arafat always wore
it. With great confidence and pride the
boy said, “we are all Yasser Arafat.” In
essence this is the message of the Palestinians. They will continue the struggle and carry on
the legacy of their late president until the illegal Israeli occupation ends
and
Indeed,
a very important chapter in the life of the Palestinian people has come to an
end with the death of President Arafat.
We mourn his passing away and we offer each other condolences.
At the same time, we pray to God that the new Palestinian leadership
that has assumed responsibility will resume a unified struggle by walking the
way of peace with justice.
We
call on our friends abroad to renew their efforts in impressing upon their
governments the need for the government of Israel to respect and implement
international law which would be the requisite basis for the just peace that
would create a livable future for both Palestinians and Israelis.
“The Lord is a refuge for
the oppressed, a place of safety in times of trouble. Those who know you, Lord, will trust you; you
do not abandon anyone who comes to you.” (Psalm 9:9)
Jerusalem
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