By Larbi Arbaoui
Morocco World News
Taroudant, Morocco, Nov 20, 2012
Courage is not something to be acquired or taught but, rather, something to be born with. Courage is the weapon of the oppressed, the language of those standing on the rightful side of the cause and the capital of the colonized. This is the case of the Palestinians, a people who have lost, probably, everything but their courage and dignity. With the might of sophisticated weapons, one can impose a physical dominance on a certain nation. Yet, they will never be able to take over their dignity and step on their audacity, which is the offspring of their honest cause and strong determination.
The most important reason calling upon us to reconsider the question of courage is what we see today with our own eyes in the deadly situations in the besieged Gaza strip. The arresting boldness of Palestinians who are standing solidly, their resolve to defend their land, having no desire to be anywhere else but on their legitimate territory, is demonstrated by many videos and images released by media.
On the other side, there is the cowardice of the Israeli soldiers, who are fully equipped with all kinds of modern weapons, and, sadly, the weakness of some Arab leaders, which is no better than the faintheartedness of the Israeli soldiers.
An excellent example of the courage of the Palestinians is well-depicted in a Skype interview between CNN anchor Isha Sesay and Mohammed Sulaiman, a young Palestinian resident of Gaza. The interview was a way to cover the conflict that renewed Wednesday with the assassination, by Israel, of Ahmed Said Khalil al-Jabari, the head of Hamas’ military wing. While talking to CNN’s anchor, successive bomb blasts were heard not far from where the Palestinian was speaking via Skype, appearing unbothered with what was going outside. “You can hear everything,” he said, in a sense of calm and ease. “I am not going to comment on any of it. I’m not going to even allow these bombs to interrupt me from having this debate with you and your guest.” Sulaiman told the anchor, who looked scared, raising her eyebrows and giving a glassy stare.
The release from fear is not a simple experience that any common person may go through because the conscious mind, while being aware of the surrounding dangers, implants fear within the individual to prevent him or her from taking risks in order to preserve the self-harm. A person who does not know fear is one who has experienced death in its various forms. This is the case of the majority of Palestinians. Most of them have lost their loved relatives before their eyes. This made them fear to lose nothing except the land that has become an organic part of them, and to which they are ready to give their souls and lives, since it is their land and their home.
By contrast, the Israeli people were shown in a hysteric situation after the first few rockets hit Tel Aviv, seeking reassurance from their helpless army. A feeling of insecurity and fear was witnessed in Israeli civilians and soldiers alike, regardless of the military power they claim. One may ask why there is this weakness on the part of the colonizer when they boast an “undefeatable army?” The answer is very simple: no one has the courage to die for something that is not his own. Since the Israelis are on territory which is not theirs, it is impossible to give up their lives for something they don’t own.
Courage is an accidental behavior or occasional action in some nations but, in Palestine, it has become a principle characterizing every individual in isolation and a common belief and mood of the masses, which is manifested in the daily clashes of the Palestinians in defending their conquered land and standing for their honest cause. The nation whose citizens have lost courage is the one whose determination and claims are very weak.
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