When Palestine Appeared… and the Seats Were Empty in Front of Netanyahu

Writer: Firas Al-Tairawi

There are moments in politics that do not require much explanation. One image can say what dozens of speeches and statements cannot.

This is what happened at the United Nations.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Abu Mazen, appeared on the screen from Ramallah, after he was unable to attend in New York. He spoke on behalf of a people who still demand their freedom, independence, and right to self-determination, and he clearly told the world that Palestinians will not leave their homeland, will not accept displacement, and will not allow anyone to decide their future on their behalf.

The speech ended and applause followed.

Then came the other scene.

Benjamin Netanyahu ascended to the podium of the United Nations, and a mass withdrawal from the hall began. Delegates left in large numbers, until the majority of the seats in the hall were empty, in a scene captured by cameras before the world.

Two images from the same place, but between them lies a lot of meanings.

Mahmoud Abbas did not reach the podium, but Palestine did.

Netanyahu reached the podium, and the hall emptied around him.

Here, I am not talking about a political victory created by applause, nor about a defeat determined by an empty seat. Politics is more complicated than that. However, it is also a mistake to ignore the language of the image and the message it carried.

Some may disagree with President Mahmoud Abbas on politics, on the management of the authority, and on choices he has made over many years, and this is the right of every Palestinian. However, disagreement is one thing, and fairness is another.

Fairness requires us to say that this man has carried one of the heaviest issues in the world during one of its most difficult phases.

That is why I see him as the Job of Palestine.

Not because he is above criticism, nor because his political experience is free of mistakes. But because he has endured for a long time, has borne much, and has remained, despite all that has changed around him, steadfast in his commitment to Palestine and the right of its people to freedom and independence.

American administrations have changed, Israeli governments have shifted, wars have erupted, settlements have expanded, and the Palestinian, Arab, and international scenes have become more complex. Nevertheless, Abu Mazen has continued to carry the Palestinian file to the world, asserting that this people has a homeland and rights, and that true peace cannot be built on denying the Palestinian or erasing their existence.

In his last speech, he did not use the language of revenge, nor did he call for the elimination of another people. He said that the Palestinian wants to live freely on his land, to have his state, dignity, and future.

Some may see adherence to international law and negotiations as a weakness, and others may question the feasibility of this path after all these years. But there is a truth that cannot be ignored: to hold onto your rights when the balance of power is against you, and to refuse to give it up despite years of occupation and pressure, is also a form of resilience.

From here comes the description of 'the Job of Palestine.'

A man who has reached a certain age, who has witnessed wars, uprisings, divisions, and political sieges, and has seen the world change around him many times, yet he continues to say: We are here, this is our land, and we want our state and our freedom.

On the other side was a different image.

Netanyahu on the UN podium, with the hall emptying around him.

Those diplomats who left did not protest with counter-speeches. Leaving the hall in front of the world's cameras was, in itself, a political message.

The significance of the scene increases when we remember that Netanyahu is still the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court. Yes, it is a legal fact that cannot be ignored.

Here we reach the essence of the matter

The difference between power and right.

The military force can impose a reality on the ground. It can establish a barrier, besiege a city, confiscate land, and protect a settlement.

But there is something that military force does not grant anyone

legitimacy.

That is why the image of the United Nations is important.

Not because applause will liberate Palestine tomorrow, nor because the departure of delegations will remove the occupation. The Palestinians know better than anyone else that the road to freedom is longer and more difficult than that.

But the conflict is not only military.

There is a battle over the law, the narrative, the memory, and the right of a people not to be reduced to a number or a fleeting news item.

In that hall, the paradox appeared very clearly.

The President of Palestine was not physically present in New York, but his voice reached.

The Israeli Prime Minister arrived in New York himself, but the hall seemed almost empty around him after the delegates left in large numbers.

So who was actually present at that moment?

Perhaps this is the most important question.

Abu Mazen tried to tell the world something simple: We are not a people looking for an alternative homeland. We are a people with a homeland, with a history, with a memory, and with the right to live freely on our land.

This message does not need to be shouted.

Palestine does not ask the world for charity, nor does it seek a favor from anyone. It demands a political, humanitarian, and legal right: for its people to live in freedom and dignity, and to determine their own future.

Therefore, when the attendees applauded, I did not see in the scene applause for just one man.

I saw applause for Palestine, which the man carried in his speech.

And I saw in the seats that were empty during Netanyahu's speech another message that does not need a translator.

Abu Mazen remains, for me, the Job of Palestine.

Disagree with him, criticize him, and hold him accountable for his political experience; this is a right that cannot be disputed. But do not deny the man his patience, nor the years he carried Palestine on his shoulders, at a time when carrying it was not easy.

On that day, the United Nations summarized the scene in two images

Abu Mazen spoke from Ramallah, so Palestine was present in New York.

Netanyahu spoke from the heart of New York, and the delegations left before him.

Amidst the applause and the empty seats, there remained a truth older than all governments and longer-lasting than all occupations:

Power may impose a reality for some time, but it cannot erase the right of a people to their homeland and freedom.