The Fedayeen: A Stark Model of National Unity ...

The Fedayeen, a concept that has evolved within the Palestinian identity since the onset of the Palestinian revolution, where the allegiance was to Palestine, and the fighter would sacrifice his soul to achieve the goal for which he joined the ranks of the Palestinian revolution: the liberation of the usurped land and the lifting of the injustice inflicted upon the Palestinian people. Just as there were messages from that fighter, the brave rebel who fought with his rifle and bullets, our Palestinian national team bore the nickname "Fedayeen" with reason; for the football player, through his feet, passes, and shots, left impacts comparable to those of mortar and RPG artillery, regardless of the opponent. However, there were several messages carried by his feet through the various competitions in which the Palestinian national football team participated, the most recent being the Arab Cup held in the brotherly country of Qatar. These messages contained meanings directed at both the Arab and Western worlds, as well as at the Palestinian people and their political leadership. The most important of which is that there is a land called Palestine, which has been usurped for decades, bringing about successive catastrophes to its people. Does it not deserve unified action for it?!

Sports, especially football, has been one of the exceptional means of national resistance, allowing the Palestinian flag to fly high in all Arab and Western forums. For the Fedayeen, when participating in competitions, would write the name of Palestine with his feet on global scenes, coloring the world's sky with the hues of the sacred Palestinian flag.

Just as the Palestinian people rallied around the brave fighting Fedayeen in the past, they have also gathered around the Fedayeen football player. Through his footballing touches, he achieved national unity, free from factional interests, personal benefits, or self-serving gains—something that our political leadership and national factions, which have so far only pursued personal gains, could not achieve.

The Palestinian sports Fedayeen embodied Palestinian presence in the face of every attempt to obliterate national identity and erase the Palestinian existence, demographically and geographically, from the world map. This asserted that there is still a people suffering from the calamities of occupation, striving by all means to live with dignity and peace, and to build their independent state with its capital in Al-Quds Al-Sharif.

With every assist and pass, the Palestinian Fedayeen reminded the free world and the morally conscious that even Palestinian sports have not escaped the targeting by the Israeli occupation and the ongoing aggression against the Palestinian people for decades, as dozens of Palestinian athletes, including members of the national team in Gaza, were intentionally killed.

The messages of the Palestinian Fedayeen were not only directed at the Arab and Western worlds, but also contained words for our different political leaderships and those in authority among us, clearly stating that our feet succeeded in uniting the people of Palestine in all areas of their presence. So are you capable of doing what the feet of the Fedayeen did? Do you possess the solid will and strong determination that our Fedayeen's feet had when they faced every challenge with strength, standing as a tough opponent against the enemy? The messages entail calls to the authorities: "Look at your children how they flock from all directions to gather around the Palestinian Fedayeen! Listen to the chants and cries of your people, which were elements of strength for the Fedayeen to strive for victory and embody a Palestinian dream that resonates with all Palestinians! Cries filled with sorrow and pain from ongoing division! Cries full of longing for national unity!"

Palestinian football has never been just a ball passed among 11 players; it has become a symbol of national identity, resilience, defiance, and determination. Sport, through football, has transformed into a platform to voice the people and restore national unity despite harsh conditions; it has become a program for national unity and a national message in every sense of the word, an exemplary model of unity that a people facing various forms of suffering, oppression, and humiliation still aspires for, but has not and will not relent. They are determined, with all their might, to continue their struggle and fight for liberation and the establishment of an independent state.

Why do our leaders not take the Fedayeen as a model, working with all patriotism to harness the achievements of Palestinian sports victories in achieving national unity—especially since the relationship between sports and politics is deep and intertwined? Particularly if sports are used as a diplomatic tool to bridge viewpoints among the children of one people, as it is among the children of one nation, building national identity and enhancing values, thus contributing to alleviating injustice and achieving the aspirations of the Palestinian people? Does Gaza not deserve, after more than two years of genocide and starvation, a unified national position? Does the West Bank, facing settlement and ethnic cleansing, not deserve a unified national Palestinian position? Does Jerusalem, the capital, and its pearl, the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the sorrowful Church of the Holy Sepulcher, not deserve from their shared plight a united Palestinian national stance?!