Heartfelt condolences to family, comrades and the Palestinian people on the death of Comrade Dr. George Habash, Al-Hakim

By LUIS G. JALANDONI
NDFP Chief International Representative
Member, NDFP National Executive Committee

The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) conveys its heartfelt condolences to the family of Comrade Dr. George Habash, Al-Hakim, to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Palestinian people on the passing away of the Founder of the PFLP and the Arab Nationalist Movement.

The NDFP joins the Palestinian and Arab peoples in mourning the death of an outstanding leader of their struggle for national and social liberation. His contributions over seven decades of struggle constitute an ineradicable legacy for all those persevering in the liberation struggle.

As stated by his comrades in the PFLP, not only did he demonstrate the highest level of care and dedication to his people, but he also consistently and clearly conveyed and developed a scientific vision and analysis both of the future of the revolution and the dangers and plans against it forged by the enemies of his people.

After the outbreak of the great Intifada in 1987, he called for upholding Palestinian unity as a necessary condition for the continuation of the struggle. He called for the convening of the Palestinian National Congress in 1988. Appalled by the massive uprooting of over 700,000 Palestinians in 1948, Comrade Habash and other Arab patriots founded the Arab Nationalist Movement. He firmly upheld and defended the vital and central right of the Palestinian refugees to return to their beloved homeland. He therefore strongly opposed the Oslo Agreement in 1993 for attacking this right to return.

At the Sixth Convention of the PFLP in 2000, Comrade Habash declared: “We cannot seize the future without having read our history well, not in order to be enslaved by that history, but in order to benefit from it as a necessary precondition for dealing with the future. The present is a qualitative extension of the past, while at the same time it constitutes the material and intellectual foundation for the building of the future.” On that occasion, when he relinquished the leadership of the PFLP, he announced his idea and plan of establishing a center for studies, which he said would be a “dynamic, social, intellectual and dialectic operation.” He added, “Recognizing the reasons for our defeat is a beginning step on the path toward the sphere of success and achievement, leaving behind the realm of failure, and getting closer to victory.” He highlighted the great role of women and youth in the Palestinian revolution.

At the end of his speech, Comrade Habash declared: “My aim in this closing speech has been to say to you – and not only to you, but to all the detainees, or those who experienced detention, to the families of the martyrs, to those who were wounded, to all who sacrificed and gave for the cause – that your sacrifice has not been in vain. The just goals and legitimate rights which they have struggled and given their lives for will be attained, sooner or later... And my aim, again and again, is to emphasize the need for you to persist in your struggle to serve our people, for the good of all Palestinians and Arabs – the good that lies in a just and legitimate cause, as it does in the realization of the good for all those who are oppressed and wronged. You must always be of calm mind, and of contented conscience, with a strong resolve and a steel will, for you have been and still are in the camp of justice and progress, the camp whose just goals will be attained and which will inevitably attain its legitimate rights. For these are the lessons of history and reality, and no right is lost as long as there is someone fighting for it.”

For the Filipino people persevering in their struggle for national and social liberation, the life and dedication of Comrade Habash is also an inspiration and further strengthens the solidarity between the Palestinian people and the Filipino people.

Long live the noble memory and inspiration of the outstanding and exemplary Founder of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Arab Nationalist Movement, Comrade Dr. George Habash, Al-Hakim!

Long live the Palestinian people’s struggle for national and social liberation!

Long live international solidarity for the revolutionary cause of the Palestinian people!