When Palestine Arrived… and the Seats Were Empty Before Netanyahu

Author: Firas Al-Tayrawi

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

This is what happened at the United Nations.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Abu Mazen, appeared on screen from Ramallah after he was unable to attend New York. He spoke on behalf of a people still demanding their freedom and independence and their 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 at the United Nations, and a mass exodus began from the hall. Delegates left in large numbers, leaving the majority of the seats in the hall empty, in a scene captured by cameras before the world.

Two images from the same place, but with many meanings between them.

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. But 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 made over many years, and this is the right of every Palestinian. But disagreement is one thing, and fairness is another.

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

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 a lot, remained steadfast despite everything that has changed around him, and held on to Palestine and its people's right to freedom and independence.

American administrations have changed, Israeli governments have changed, wars have erupted, settlements have expanded, and the Palestinian, Arab, and international scenes have become more complicated. Yet 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, and to have his state, dignity, and future.

Some may see adherence to international law and negotiations as weakness, and others may debate the feasibility of this path after all these years. But there is a truth that cannot be ignored: to hold on to 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 steadfastness.

This is where the description of 'the Job of Palestine' comes from.

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 at the United Nations podium, and the hall emptied around him.

Those diplomats who left did not need opposing speeches. Leaving the hall in front of the cameras of the world was a political message in itself.

The significance of the scene increases when we remember that Netanyahu is still subject to 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.

Military power 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 power cannot grant anyone

Legitimacy.

That is why the image at the United Nations was important.

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

But the struggle is not only military.

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

In that hall, the paradox appeared clearly.

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

The Prime Minister of Israel reached New York himself, but the hall appeared almost empty around him after the delegates left in large numbers.

So who was truly present at that moment?

Perhaps that 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, a history, a memory, and a 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 future themselves.

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

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

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

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

Disagree with him, criticize him, and hold him accountable for his political experience, this is an undeniable right. 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, and Palestine was present in New York.

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

Between the applause and the empty seats, there remained a truth older than all governments and longer-lived 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.