The Communist Party of the Philippines today paid tribute to Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Chairman Yasser Arafat. Following is the CPP's statement:
Yasser Arafat will continue to inspire the Palestinian people to struggle for their liberation
Communist Party of the Philippines
November 12, 2004
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) expresses its profound solidarity with the Palestinian people as they grieve over the passing of Chairman Yasser Arafat, leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and president of the Palestinian state.
For the past four decades, Chairman Arafat worked hard to unite the Palestinian people under the banner of the PLO, participated in their guerrilla war, represented and defended the Palestinian cause in the field of international diplomacy, and served as a symbol and inspiration of the Palestinian people's militant struggle for liberation against US-Israeli occupation and oppression.
Chairman Arafat's passing will not at all signal the decline of the Palestinian people's ardent desire for freedom. Neither does it weaken their capacity to carry out an all-out armed revolution against the US-supported Israeli occupation of Palestine. In fact, Chairman Arafat's death, which was a direct consequence of his detention at his Rammalah office during a prolonged siege by Israeli forces, is now firing up the anger of the Palestinian people and militating them to further intensify their struggle.
The need to wage militant struggle is underscored by the escalation of violent attacks by Israeli forces against the Palestinian people in the hope of driving them away from their homeland. At the prodding of US imperialism, the Israeli state has swung further and further to the right, with the most rabid reactionaries at the helm of power. They launch attacks against the Palestinian people with impunity, emboldened by increased military and financial aid from the Bush government.
In intensifying their struggle for liberation, the Palestinian people will always draw inspiration from Chairman Arafat, as well as from the memory of the thousands of Palestinian martyrs who have valiantly fought to realize their dream to liberate their homeland.
