To the family of the living martyr Khader Adnan,
I wish peace and blessings upon your household; I pray your hearts find comfort in the candles being lit from ever so far away, defiantly shining just as Khader.
Like many who have watched the Palestinian solidarity movement grow, who have joined this dignified and noble cause, I am not Palestinian; I am of Southern Lebanese descent, where my family still resides and where stories are still told - of how the South of Lebanon was liberated from the grips of Israel's occupation by the Lebanese Resistance. To this day Palestine resonates with us. My elders describe how close the Palestinian cause is to the Lebanese, how integral it is for all those who struggle in their pursuit of freedom and justice.
I imagine a celebration held in Jerusalem, on the day of Palestine's liberation. One unlike any other documented jubilation held in the history of this magnificent world. This day, I feel is not far.
When Palestine is free we will all feel the chains removed, as though they had bound our very hands. I cannot tell you how Palestinian I have felt all throughout my life. Though I have never visited, due to the occupation, I know the stories which engulf Jerusalem more than I do Beirut. I have cried and screamed and written until the point of mental exhaustion; yet, I feel ashamed of myself as I witness from a distance the heroic perseverance of Khader Adnan, who has brought many of
us onto our knees in prayer, in gratitude, in hope.
Despite being chained by the binds of Israel's occupation Khader Adnan has remained defiant. Israel's system of brutality against the people of Palestine has not partitioned his dignity, it has not blemished his soul.
Khader Adnan is our living martyr. He is a living testament of the magnificence of the human will. His defiance is a testament to the world, that the people of Palestine are resilient, that they are dignified and that they are capable of brilliance.
Khader holds the power now. Despite Israel's continuous attempts to strip Palestinians of power, Khader Adnan has defied this perverse system.
May his time on earth cast any and all doubt on those who believe that Palestinians are done fighting to liberate their land; by God, they have only just begin.