Despite Everything.. We Will Stay Here

Despite the occupation that has been trying for more than seven decades to uproot a people from their land, erase their narrative from memory, and turn the homeland into merely a title in history books...

Despite wars, sieges, divisions, conspiracies, and international and Arab betrayal...

Despite the blood that has not yet dried on the stones of Jerusalem, and despite the tears that have not left the eyes of mothers in Gaza, the West Bank, camps, and diaspora...

We will stay here.

Palestine has never been a transient political project, nor merely a matter of borders or maps; it has always been and remains the story of a people who have decided to stand firm, no matter how fierce the storms become.

Amid all the earthquakes that have shaken the region, Palestine has remained present in the collective consciousness; its flag continues to fly above the rubble, and its people write a new chapter of resilience every day.

At the heart of this long journey, Palestinian leadership has carried a heavy burden during a heavy time, with President Mahmoud Abbas present in one of the most difficult phases faced by the Palestinian cause, a phase in which Palestine has not only confronted occupation but has also faced attempts of political, economic, and geographical liquidation simultaneously.

We may disagree in opinion, and perspectives may vary, but the steadfast truth is that Palestine has remained on the world’s political map, its name is present in the United Nations and international forums, and the Palestinian narrative continues to challenge the narrative of the occupier everywhere.

Nations are not built on despair, nor are they protected by screams; they are built through a profound belief that the truth does not die no matter how long the time.

Therefore, our duty today is not to succumb to pain, but to transform pain into strength, frustration into hope, division into unity, and to constantly redirect the compass towards Palestine.

Towards Jerusalem, which awaits its children.

Towards the villages that still remember the names of their owners.

Towards the camps that have not forgotten the keys to the houses.

Towards the martyrs who instructed us not to bow.

The homeland will remain greater than the wounds.

And Palestine will remain greater than all conspiracies.

And the day will come when the truth returns to its rightful owners, for the peoples that defend their land and dignity may tire, but they do not break.

As for us...

We are still here.

And we will stay here.

For the homeland.

And for the president.

And for Palestine, which deserves that we dream of it every morning, defend it every evening, and pass on our love for it to our children from generation to generation.

Palestine first...

And Palestine last...

And Palestine always.

By Shadi Ayad