The Masar Badil, the Palestinian Alternative Revolutionary Path Movement, salutes the lifelong struggler Comrade Georges Ibrahim Abdallah upon the moment of his liberation in Lebanon, after nearly 41 years in French prisons. Throughout his time behind bars in France, he never ceased nor retreated from the struggle; even when he could have obtained his freedom by apologizing for his role in the resistance or abandoning the Palestinian and Arab cause, he held firm to his principles as a true internationalist and revolutionary. He found in every moment a new opportunity to affirm his unwavering position as a fighter for his homeland and people.
His political and intellectual stances were made manifest in the letters he wrote before and after his return to Lebanon, as well as when he was received with overwhelming warmth by the crowds gathered at the airport to welcome him, and by the thousands who lined the roads as he traveled to his birthplace in the town of Qobeiyat. His brief words delivered at Beirut airport, shone as guiding beacons to the revolutionary left in Lebanon and the Arab world, calling for the seizing of this historic moment to seize this opportunity to elevate their united front and their participation in the resistance.
Georges’ statements are a call to all of us: “Our resistance is not weak. It is strong. Now, more than ever, we must rally around it. As long as there is resistance, there is a return to the homeland…The condition of freedom is rallying around the resistance! The condition of freedom is rallying around Gaza! The condition of freedom is rallying around the martyrs of the resistance!”
The experience of the Arab revolutionary struggler Georges—his story, his militant life, and his unbroken will after more than four decades behind bars—should not be seen as an exception, but as the norm. His commitment to Palestine, to Lebanon, to principle and his adherence to revolutionary struggle and resistance never wavered. He embodied the dimensions of Palestinian and Arab struggle—as a Lebanese, Arab, and internationalist fighter in every sense of the word. He confronted imperialism and Zionism in every space, no matter how narrow, and wherever it was found. He embraced every struggle for liberation and emancipation.
For our movement, Georges Abdallah has always been a touchstone, a symbol of struggle, and a living, vital leader. Today, we join liberation movements across the world in celebrating his liberation, from Ireland, to the Basque country, to the Philippines, to all fronts of struggle. His liberation represents the convergence of popular struggle, the growing solidarity movement, and the resistance deeply rooted in our homelands.
We view Georges Abdallah as a school of revolution from which all generations can draw lessons. His years of imprisonment were years of struggle; he turned his jail cell into an arena of struggle. He was part of the Palestinian prisoners’ movement from inside a French prison; and he exemplified the reality that the prisoners are not detached nor isolated from the movement and the people, but are instead resistance leaders. His liberation raises the morale of our prisoners in the Zionist dungeons amid these harsh times of genocide, and holds up the promise of victory.
Today, Comrade Georges Abdallah’s presence in Lebanon presents a qualitative advance and holds a great value for Palestine and Lebanon, for our collective movements, and for the unity of all Lebanese who are struggling for their rights in Lebanon and confronting occupation and aggression. He returns to Lebanon at a time when U.S. and French imperialism are attempting to impose their will and hegemony over the Lebanese people and their resistance, and as the Zionist regime daily violates the ceasefire: at a time when his voice and militant presence are necessary.
We celebrate the liberation of Georges Abdallah at a time of genocide, siege, massacres and starvation imposed upon our Palestinian people. We echo his honest voice and his clear call for a comprehensive Arab uprising against Zionism, imperialism, and the reactionary regimes implementing their schemes. In the moment of his liberation, he affirmed the compass he never abandoned, even after decades of imprisonment: the decisive role of the masses, the importance of strengthening the power and role of the resistance, and that breaking the siege on Gaza and stopping the aggression are the number one priority in this moment—for us, and for all the free people of the world.