On Wednesday, April 29th at Martyr Khaled Alwan Hall in Beirut, at the invitation of the Committee of Representatives of Prisoners and Released Detainees, liberated prisoner and Lebanese comrade of the Palestinian struggle Georges Abdallah opened up a gathering in solidarity with the prisoners entitled: “The Rifle Holds the Decision.” Al-Ahrar has translated Georges’ speech from Arabic to English for publication below.
As of today, at least 23 Lebanese prisoners remain in Zionist prisons. 11 were captured during a Zionist offensive, nine were captured after a ceasefire, and three were taken decades ago. In addition to the 23 men, 42 Lebanese are considered “missing” with their whereabouts unknown after the Zionist war against Lebanon in September 2024.
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The torches of freedom in the fortresses of dignity are our steadfast, heroic prisoners. We must ensure that the implications of every word we say is clear. These prisoners, these heroes, are a trust in our hands; they are the embodiment of our dignity and the embodiment of our sovereignty.
We do not rely on any entity that seeks to prostrate itself before the enemy to liberate any of them. Those who demand the disarmament of the resistance will not work on behalf of our prisoners. Those who stand at America’s feet and beg and prostrate in front of the imperialists will liberate neither land nor prisoners.
Only the actions of the resistance, in all its expressions and formations, is our only hope, and it knows what its duties are.
The vanguard of our nation, the vanguard of our masses, the vanguard of the national forces, with its arms, adhering to national identity and its Arab dimension, committed to the Palestinian cause and opposed to all forms of normalization, are the only guarantee that we will see our prisoners return with their heads held high, raising their heads and the head of every citizen of our land.
Our imprisoned comrades, our comrades in the prisons of the Zionist entity— Arabs, Palestinians and Lebanese— are the hope of our nation. They stand firm in extremely complex and difficult circumstances, raising the banner of dignity. It is incumbent upon us uphold their steadfastness. It is incumbent upon us to uphold their dignity.
They are not mere details, or one task among many. Liberating them is the main task.
Whoever does not consider the liberation of prisoners to be the essence of the resistance is not with the resistance. Whoever believes that there are limits to any action taken to liberate prisoners, or that we must adhere to certain conditions, is not accepted.
We must do whatever can be done anywhere on our planet to liberate our land, our honour and our prisoners. Our prisoners await those who have pledged their lives and have not wavered.
It is incumbent upon us to be at this level, and certainly the sons and daughters of our nation will not betray our prisoners.
Victory is near, very near. It is closer than many imagine. We are on the verge of victory. The Zionist entity is living its final chapters. It will unleash its full barbaric arsenal, but the masses of our people and our steadfast, heroic prisoners will hold their heads high and raise the banner. They will demolish the last walls of this abhorrent entity.
Victory is ours!
Victory is certain!
Victory to the resistance, to the masses of the resistance, to the environment of the resistance, and to the descendants of the resistance, without exception. Thank you.
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Watch comrade Georges Abdallah’s speech in Arabic on his Facebook page at the following link:
