GEORGE GALLOWAY: THE NOBLE MAN

March 10, 2009 at 10:10 (Associate Post, International Solidarity, Israel, Palestine)

By Khalid Amayreh

Unlike many politicians who would rather stay on the safe side, even if that means betraying their conscience, George Galloway represents a rare breed of morally-guided politicians who are willing to call the spade a spade even in the face of danger and brutality.

The British lawmaker has displayed immense courage in speaking up against crimes and injustices inflicted by Israel, the United States and their European allies in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Palestine.

In 2003, Galloway was expelled from the Labor Party when a party body decided that the strong statements he had made in opposition to the invasion of Iraq by the US and its allies had brought the party into disrepute.

Unshaken and defiant, Galloway then co-founded the Respect party, a new leftist-leaning coalition with a number of small groups.

Galloway had castigated the horrible genocide of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians who died as a result of the draconian sanctions imposed on that Arab country and enforced by the United States.

In 2006, when the West and several Arab regimes were utterly silent, or colluding with Israel, Galloway spoke up loudly and eloquently against the barbaric Israeli aggression against Lebanon which utterly destroyed civilian homes and infrastructure, especially in southern Beirut, and killed hundreds of innocent civilians all over Lebanon.

In so doing, he exposed the nefarious war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated by Israel, including the dropping by the Israeli air force of millions of cluster bomblets all over southern Lebanon for the express purpose of killing and maiming Lebanese peasants, farmers, shepherds and children for many many years to come.

Now, the brave gentleman has arrived in the huge besieged concentration camp known as the Gaza Strip, leading an aid convoy of food and medicine for the thoroughly tormented people of Gaza.

Interestingly, his auspicious arrival coincided with the occurrence of the annual anniversary of the birth of the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) who said “one of the greatest forms of Jihad, is to utter a word of truth in the presence of tyrant.”

“I am here to meet the heroes of Palestine’s resistance, the government of Palestine, the people of Palestine,” Galloway told reporters as thousands of jubilant Palestinians turned up to greet the man and his companions.

“I have entered Palestine many times but the most emotional of these is after the 22-day genocidal aggression against the Palestinian people,” said Galloway, who kneeled down to kiss Gaza ground.

“We are all Palestinians”

Unafraid of upsetting Israel, its criminal-minded allies, quislings and hangers-on, Galloway said what most politicians in the capitals of Europe and North America, not even in the Arab-Muslim Middle East, wouldn’t dare say, namely that Hamas is the legitimate Palestinian government and that the Palestinian people’s will ought to be respected.

Galloway denounced former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a staunch supporter of the Hamas-isolation policy.

“He doesn’t represent the British people,” said Galloway.

Blair, like most other western politicians and officials, remained utterly silent as Nazi Israel was raining white phosphorus bombs on Gaza recently, killing, maiming and incinerating thousands of innocent civilians, including hundreds of children, whose only “crime” was their enduring vigor and determination to live and be free.

However, instead of getting disgracefully consigned to the dustbin of history, as, indeed, he should have been, Blair was appointed by the crime-boss of the White House, the unmissed George Bush, as Peace Envoy to the Middle East.

Bush and Blair will always be remembered as despicable war criminals who shamelessly indulged in every type of dishonest behavior to justify or cover up their criminal conduct.

In truth, they shouldn’t be free men, their natural place should be behind bars.

We salute you

Well, Mr. Galloway, on behalf of the Palestinian people and all free-minded men and women around the world, I salute you for being a voice for the voiceless and for speaking up loudly, eloquently and defiantly for truth and justice.

George: It is for upholding these sublime values that great men are created.

I salute you for challenging the forces of hypocrisy and moral duplicity back in Britain who instead of calling Israel, a criminal state ruled by an evil clique of war criminals, by its real name, hasten to blame the helpless victims for surviving the recent genocide in Gaza and for clinging to life, dignity and freedom.

I also salute you for being “non-conformist,” because in a world overwhelmed by hypocrisy, immorality, human depravity, unethical expediency, and repulsive political correctness, it takes a true non-conformist to uphold true human values.

And, above all, I salute you for exposing and putting to shame the treacherous Arab leaders who played their fiddle while Gaza was burning.

Sir, May God bless you.