[E-rundbrief] Info 1283 - Marwan Barghouti (Palestine) to Nelson Mandela

[Matthias Reichl]

E-Rundbrief - Info 1283 - Marwan Barghouti (Palästina/ Israel): Marwan 
Barghouti to Nelson Mandela: "Our Freedom Seems Possible Because You 
Reached Yours".

Bad Ischl, 20.12.2013

Begegnungszentrum für aktive Gewaltlosigkeit

www.begegnungszentrum.at

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  Marwan Barghouti to Nelson Mandela: "Our Freedom Seems Possible 
Because You Reached Yours"

     Published on Friday, 06 December 2013 11:48

Palestine News Network

Marwan Barghouthi, a Palestinian political figure convicted and 
imprisoned for "murder" by an Israeli court, sent a message from 
Hadarim Israeli jail following the announcement of Nelson Mandela's 
death, as follows:

"During the long years of my own struggle, I had the occasion to think 
many times of you, dear Nelson Mandela. Even more since my arrest in 
2002. I think of a man who spent 27 years in a prison cell, only to 
demonstrate that freedom was within him before becoming a reality his 
people could enjoy. I think of his capacity to defy oppression and 
apartheid, but also to defy hatred and to choose justice over vengeance.

"How many times did you doubt the outcome of this struggle? How many 
times did you ask yourself if justice will prevail? How many times did 
you wonder why is the world so silent? How many times did you wonder 
whether your enemy could ever become your partner? At the end, your 
will proved unbreakable making your name one of the most shining names 
of freedom.

"You are much more than an inspiration. You must have known, the day 
you came out of prison, that you were not only writing history, but 
contributing to the triumph of light over darkness, and yet you 
remained humble. And you carried a promise far beyond the limits of 
your countries' borders, a promise that oppression and injustice will 
be vanquished, paving the way to freedom and peace. In my prison cell, 
I remind myself daily of this quest, and all sacrifices become 
bearable by the sole prospect that one day the Palestinian people will 
also be able to enjoy freedom, return and independence, and this land 
will finally enjoy peace.

"You became an icon to allow your cause to shine and to impose itself 
on the international stage. Universality to counter isolation. You 
became a symbol around which all those who believe in the universal 
values that found your struggle could rally, mobilise and act. Unity 
is the law of victory for oppressed people. The tiny cell and the 
hours of forced labor, the solitude and the darkness, did not prevent 
you from seeing the horizon and sharing your vision. Your country has 
become a lighthouse and we, as Palestinians, are setting sails to 
reach its shores.

"You said "We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the 
freedom of the Palestinians". And from within my prison cell, I tell 
you our freedom seems possible because you reached yours. Apartheid 
did not prevail in South Africa, and Apartheid shall not prevail in 
Palestine. We had the great privilege to welcome in Palestine a few 
months ago, your comrade and companion in struggle Ahmed Kathrada, who 
launched, following this visit, the International Campaign for the 
freedom of Palestinian prisoners from your own cell, where an 
important part of universal history was shaped, demonstrating that the 
ties between our struggles are everlasting.

"Your capacity to be a unifying figure, and to lead from within the 
prison cell, and to be entrusted with the future of your people while 
being deprived of your ability to choose your own, are the marks of a 
great and exceptional leader and of a truly historical figure. I 
salute the freedom fighter and the peace negotiator and maker, the 
military commander and the inspirer of peaceful resistance, the 
relentless militant and the statesman.

"You have dedicated your life to ensure freedom and dignity, justice 
and reconciliation, peace and coexistence can prevail. Many now honour 
your struggle in their speeches. In Palestine, we promise to pursue 
the quest for our common values, and to honour your struggle not only 
through words, but by dedicating our lives to the same goals. Freedom 
dear Madiba, shall prevail, and you contributed tremendously in making 
this belief a certainty. Rest in Peace, and may God bless your 
unconquerable soul."

Marwan Barghouthi

Hadarim prison

Cell n°28

http://english.pnn.ps/index.php/prisoners/6333-marwan-barghouti-to-mandela-our-freedom-seems-possible-because-you-reached-yours 



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