Death of Palestinian poet Samih al-Qasim

Samih al-Qasim, the great Palestinian and Druze poet, has died. His relationship with our village went back many years. Most recently, he was present at the opening of the Pluralistic Spiritual Community Center and, in 2007 the community awarded him, together with Ruth Dayan, the Partner in Peace prize. At the time, Abdessalam Najjar (Allah irahmo) wrote:

’Samih al-Qasim is a revolutionary of the humane kind. He considers no cause to be worthwhile if it leads to loss of life (one’s own or that of others). The struggle for country is for the living in it, not for the dying in it. He is not for “explosive belts” but for “explosive thought” that will overcome the conflict: “I hate occupation and its symbols, but I don’t hate the Jews, or all Israelis. There are Israelis who are my partner in the battle against occupation, and I respect them. I believe our struggle against occupation should not strip us of our humanity. If we lose that, they have won.”’

We, and others who are in favour of a just peace in this country, have lost a firm friend.