Ceannaire Palaistíneach ar Shlí na Fírinne
Rugadh an Dochtúir George Habash (nó al-Hakim – ‘an Saoi’ – mar a thugtaí air) in al-Lydd na Palaistíne 2ú Lúnasa 1926. Bhí sé ina mhac léinn le leighis nuair a d’fhorghabh na hIosrealaigh an baile agus dhíbir siad a theaghlach agus 10,000 Palaistíneach eile ón áit.
Chríochnaigh sé a chuid staidéir i mBéiriút na Liobáine agus chuidigh sé le teifigh Phalaistíneacha eile sna campaí sa Iordáin. Cuireadh faoi ghlas é i ndiaidh léirsithe agus i 1952 bhunaigh sé Gluaiseacht Náisiúnach na nArabach (ANM). D’oscail sé clinic agus scoil in Amman ach bhí air dul ar an teifeadh chun na Siria nuair a ciontaíodh é gan e bheith ann as iarracht coup d’etat a dhéanamh in éadan Rí na hIordáine i 1957.
Tháinig sé ar ais go Beiriút i 1961 agus thosaigh sé ag atheagrú an ANM agus ag tabhairt bhaill Phalaistíneacha na heagraíochta le chéile. I ndiaidh Chogadh na Sé Lá i 1967 rinne sé obair chun eagraíochtaí éagsúla a thabhairt le chéile agus bhí sé ar lucht bunaithe an Fhronta Pobail um Fhuascailt na Palaistíne (PFLP) ní ba mhoille sa bhliain sin. Bhí sé ina Ard-Rúnaí ar an eagraíocht nua go dtí 2000.
Bhí an náisiúnachas Arabach agus an sóisialachas mar phrionsabail threoracha an PFLP. Sheas siad in éadan géilleadh ar bith a dhéanamh do stát Iosraeil, óir ní raibh an stát sin sásta an comhar a íoc, agus bhí siad den bharúil go raibh stáit choiméadacha Arabacha ina naimhde do mhuintir na Palaistíne agus a streachailt um saoirse náisiúnta.
I 1970 d’fhuadaigh an PFLP ceithre eitleán sa Iordáin ar a mbealach go Meiriceá Thuaidh. Mar gheall ar an dúshlán seo rinne Rí Hussein na hIordáine iarracht na grúpaí Palaistíneacha sa tír a chur faoi chois, rud a chothaigh aighneas idir an PFLP agus grúpaí eile in Eagraíocht Shaoirse na Palaistíne (PLO).
I 1974 bhí an PFLP ar na grúpaí a d’fhág an PLO nuair a tugadh isteach ‘réiteach an dá stáit’ don chéad uair. Níor mhair seo afách agus i 1977 chuaigh siad isteach sa PLO arís nuair a bhí grúpaí Palaistíneacha ag teacht le chéile le cur in éadan an fhill a rinne Anwar Sadat, Uachtarán na hÉigipte, ar an Domhan Arabach ina iomláine. I ndiaidh Chomhaontuithe Camp David d’oibrigh Habash go dian chun aontacht na frithbheartaíochta a chinntiú, ach bhí stróc aige i 1980.
D’ainneon a dhrochshláinte lean Habash ar aghaidh ag obair. D’iarr sé ar aontacht na bPalaistíneach nuair a thosaigh an Chéad Intifada i 1987 ach d’fhág an PFLP an PLO arís i 1993 mar gheall ar Chomhaontuithe Síochána Osló. Bhí sé go fóill ina ghníomhaíoch don PFLP nuair a fuair sé bás go tobann Dé Sathairn (26 Eanáir) de thaom croí.
Bhí Habash i gcónaí den bharúil go raibh réabhlóid na cosmhuintire de dhíth chun saoirse dháiríre a bhaint amach do phobal na Palaistíne. I ráiteas faoina bhás dúirt Lárchoiste an PFLP:
“Le mairtíreacht an bhunaitheora, tá íocón agus comhartha ar a bhfrithbheartaíocht caillte ag an phobal Palaistíneach agus ag an náisiún Arabach, fear a bhí tiomanta trí thrí scór agus deich mbliain de streachailt in éadan namhaid an phobail Phalaistínigh agus Arabaigh, a thug aghaidh ar fhórsaí an ansmachta, an mhórcheannais agus na héagóra.
Tá taoiseach mór tite, ach níl a smaointe, a phrionsabail ná a fhís, nó chloígh se lena phrionsabail le tiomantas fírinneach cróga ag troid in éadan an impiriúlachais agus na bhfórsaí díomuacha. D’ainneon gach coinníoll agus cúinse, bhí Al-Hakim i gcónaí tiomanta do fhuascailt na Palaistíne, ina hiomláine, ón abhann go dtí an mhuir. Tá duine de na daoine tiomonta uaisle is mó caillte ag an Phalaistín inniu. Glóire do Al-Hakim!
Geallaimid dár bpobal agus dár dtaoiseach mór agus comhartha ár streachailte go leanfaimid ag máirseáil agus ag streachailt ar a bhóthar agus lena mhodh, le misneach agus toil pobail shaoir, go dtí saoirse iomlán talamh náisiúnta na Palaistíne go léir.”
English translation below.
Dr. George Habash (or al-Hakim - 'the Sage' - as he was called) was born in al-Lydd, Palestine on 2nd August 1926. He was a medical student when the Israelis invaded, sacked the town, and expelled his family and 10,000 other Palestinians from the area.
He completed his studies in Beirut, Lebanon and assisted other Palestinians in refugee camps in Jordan. In 1952 founded the Arab Nationalist Movement (ANM). Later he opened a clinic and a school in Amman but had to flee to Syria when he was convicted of attempting a coup d’etat against the King of Jordan in 1957.
He returned to Beirut in 1961 and began reorganising the ANM and bringing together the members of the organisation. After the ‘Six Day War’ in 1967 he worked to bring various organisations together and was one of the founders of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) later that year. He was Secretary General of the PFLP until 2000.
Arab nationalism and socialism were the guiding principles of the PFLP. They opposed any surrender to the state of Israel, because that state was unwilling to pay for the cooperation. They also believed that conservative Arab states were enemies of the Palestinian people and their struggle for national liberation.
In 1970 the PFLP hijacked four planes in Jordan en-route to North America. Because of this King Hussein of Jordan attempted to suppress the many Palestinian groups in the country, sparking a dispute with the PFLP and other groups in the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO).
In 1974 the PFLP left the PLO after the ‘two state solution’ was first introduced. However, this did not last and in 1977 they rejoined the PLO as Palestinian groups came together to oppose the return of Anwar Sadat, Egyptian President, to the Arab World as a whole. Following the Camp David Agreements, Habash worked hard to secure the unity of the resistance, but suffered a stroke in 1980.
Despite his ill health, Habash continued to work. He called for Palestinian unity when the First Intifada began in 1987, but the PFLP left the PLO again in 1993 due to the Oslo Peace Agreements. He was still an activist for the PFLP when he died suddenly on Saturday (26th January) of a heart attack.
Habash had always believed that communist revolution was needed to bring real freedom to the Palestinian people. In a statement on his death, the PFLP Central Committee said:
"With the martyrdom of the founder, the Palestinian community and the Arab nation, a man committed through three decades of struggle against the enemy of the Palestinian and Arab people, who confronted forces, have lost an icon and a sign of their resistance against oppression, domination, and injustice.
A great leader has fallen, but his ideas, principles and vision have not. He has adhered to his principles with a truly courageous commitment to fight against imperialist forces. Despite all the conditions and circumstances, Al-Hakim has always been committed to the liberation of Palestine, as a whole, from the river to the sea. Palestine has lost one of the most dedicated nobles today. Glory to Al-Hakim!
We promise our people and our great leader that we will continue to march and struggle on his path and in his manner, with the courage and will of a free people, to the complete freedom of all of Palestine."