Daily Times

Colonel Jamal Abdul Nasser came to power in a very successful military coup organized by young officer’s in 1952 and King Farooq was deposed and later exiled. Puppet kings, Pashas or Khedives of the Egypt or Middle East, were in fact the tools of fulfilling the colonial agenda. A puppet King Farooq had also been in power with colonial support for the last so many years. Even after his exile, the colonial legacy did not come to an end in Egypt.

Gradually, it seemed quite obvious that the colonial powers were not ready to withdraw from the colonized lands due to their own long term vested economic interests. In fact the imperial forces were planning to reshape the geographical borders of the Middle East and Africa for their own long term imperialist agenda even after the Second World War.

Same was the case in Egypt, where colonial powers were not ready to withdraw from the Swizz Canal Zone. In fact the canal was built to further extend the imperial agenda of colonial powers. The canal was built in November 1869 by the French engineer Ferdinand de Lesseps. It connects the Mediterranean Sea through port saeed to the Red Sea close to Sharm-el-Sheikh.

Infact the canal has reduced the distance of more than 7,000 kilometers from India to Europe. Now the colonial trade has also increased with the safe passage in a shorter time as well. During the First World War and the Second World War the colonial powers were committed to defending the canal at any cost for their own vested interests.

Even after the several attacks by the local population against the colonial forces and pashas, the imperial troops were not ready to leave their colonial territories. At the same time several unsuccessful attempts were also made by the colonial armies to crush the popular resistance of Arab Nationalists.

The colonial powers though defeated the Egyptian troops with modern warfare but later after the intervention of other international key players and the UN, they had to withdraw from the canal and its zones.

Colonel Jamal Abdul Nassir was a strong supporter of the Arab Nationalism and even supported the Algerian nationalist in their popular arms resistance against colonial France. Nassir nationalized many industries in Egypt and finally decided to nationalize Swiss canal in 1956. Nassir paid a very reasonable amount to the shareholders of the canal as well. Nasser’s decision of nationalization of the canal was considered a hostile move by the colonial powers in the region. In fact Nassir challenged the colonial powers in the region.

Keeping in view the decision of Nasser, the colonial powers signed a secret “pact of severs” and decided to take military action against Egypt and even planned to overthrow the regime of Nassir. The colonial powers though defeated the Egyptian troops with modern warfare but later after the intervention of other international key players and the UN, they had to withdraw from the canal and its zones.

This was in fact the political and moral defeat of the colonial powers perhaps the last nail in the coffin of the colonial agenda but in fact a start of new imperialism in the shape of new global powers (actors) on the world stage. After the Swiss crisis, Nasser rose to fame and was recognized as an Arab nationalist leader in the whole Arab world. He also supported the Palestinians’ cause and was against the existence of the new tale of imperialism in the heart of the Arab world. Another Nasserite or the Arab nationalist and the godfather of the arms resistance movement, Al-Hakim George Habash, the founder of PFLP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) was also a staunch supporter of Arab nationalism or Nasserism. Al-Hakim George Habash as an Arab nationalist strongly believes in the arms resistance or struggle against the forces of imperialism. Al-Hakim throughout his life tried to justify his arms resistance movement on different platforms.

Al-Hakim was born on August 2, 1926 in Lydda, Palestine, to a Greek Christian Orthodox family. In 1948, he joined the Syrian People’s Party. In July 1948, the Habash family took refuge in Lebanon after the first Israel-Palestinian conflict. In 1951, he graduated from a medical school and in October 1952, he formed Arab nationalist movement in Beirut, with his fellow students Hani al-Hindi, Ahmad al-Khatib, Bassel al-Kobeissi, and Wadi? Haddad, which was Nasserite in inspiration and ideology.

Al-Hakim also agitated against Zionism and fought for the liberation of Palestine. In August 1956, Hakim also contested for the Jordanian legislative elections and remained unsuccessful. He was investigated many times about his political ideals, and finally the Jordanian authorities expelled him to Damascus, where he continued to advocate the ideas of the Arab national movement. He also advocated the arms resistance against the king Hussein of Jordan who was backed by the colonial powers in the region.

In later years Habash rejected the Oslo agreement of 1993 between Palestine and Israel and considered it against the interests of Palestinians. Later he also resigned from the PLO central council and never accepted Israel or two state formulas till his last breath as a true resistance leader.

Al-Hakim George Habash died on 26 January 2008, at the age of 81 in Jordan. Mahmud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, called for three days of national mourning. Habash was buried in a suburban cemetery of Amman with processions by the Eastern Orthodox Church.

On his funeral Mahmud Abbes said Habash was a “historic leader” and called for Palestinian flags to be flown half-mast. The deputy secretary general of the PFLP, Abdel Raheem Mallouh, called comrade Habash a “distinguished leader” who struggled for more than sixty years without any break for the rights and the interests of the Palestinian people”.

Hamas leader and former Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh sent his condolences, saying Al-Hakim Habash “spent his life defending the rights of the people of Palestine”. Al- Hakim will always be remembered as an Arab nationalist and as a popular resistance leader who fought throughout his life against imperialist forces in the Middle East and never accepted the new tale of imperialism in the heart of the Middle East.

The popular resistance notion, dialogue, ideals or debate against new cultural, political and economic imperialism is still relevant even in the new world order of 21st century as well. Keeping in view this perspective the ideals or inspiration of Nasserism and Al-Hakim Habash is still very much relevant even today as well.

Although the imperial forces waged a war against Nasser when he nationalized Swiss canal in 1956 and Nassir lost the Swiss war but he remained victorious on the diplomatic and political front of the global stage as a great Arab nationalist leader. Later the colonial powers had to withdraw from the Swiss canal and the whole Canal Zone.

Now it’s time for both India and Israel to realize that the indigenous popular resistance movements cannot be eliminated through force (standing armies) or with modern warfare or through advanced technological warfare. But in fact peaceful negotiations and diplomacy should be the first and last resort to solve the long standing issues like Palestine and Kashmir.

The writer is Associate Professor & Head of Department of Social Science, Forman Christian College