Palestinian Daily 'Al-Quds' Lavishes Praise On Slain Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, Calling Him A 'Heroic Leader' And 'Martyr'

Since the September 27, 2024 elimination of Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon, the East Jerusalem-based Palestinian daily Al-Quds has published a series of articles glorifying him and lamenting his death. In its September 29 editorial, the daily, which has taken a hawkish and aggressive line towards Israel throughout the war, described Nasrallah's killing as a "loathsome crime" and Nasrallah himself as a "brave and heroic leader" who "spearheaded the resistance" against Israel and will "live forever in the hearts of the Arab and Islamic nations." Al-Quds editor Ibrahim Melhem, who until recently also served as the spokesperson of the Palestinian Authority (PA) government, penned an article eulogizing Nasrallah and lamenting "the great loss of his passing." Al-Quds columnist Hamdi Faraj called Nasrallah "the master of our souls that yearn for freedom" and "an ideological, historical, religious, linguistic, moral and military encyclopedia." The nation, he added, is filled with "sorrow and black depression" over Nasrallah's death, but draws solace from the knowledge that it can birth hundreds who will continue on his path.

It should be noted that PA President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as the PLO and Fatah movements, which he heads, likewise lamented Nasrallah and sent condolences to Hizbullah for his death. This is despite the PA leadership's anger at Hizbullah and its patron Iran due to the latter's support of the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terror organizations and its efforts to arm the West Bank and topple the PA's rule there.[1]  

Illustration of Nasrallah in the daily (Al-Quds, East Jerusalem, September 29, 2024)

The following are translated excerpts from the articles about Nasrallah published in Al-Quds after his assassination.

Al-Quds: Nasrallah Was A Heroic Leader Who Stood Out For His Wisdom, Intelligence And Faith

The daily's September 29 editorial, titled "Leader of the Resistance and Eternal Martyr on the Path to Jerusalem and Palestine," said: "The honorable and exalted leader of the resistance, Hassan Nasrallah, secretary-general of Hizbullah, has been murdered in a despicable Israeli crime. A brave leader and hero who stood out for his intelligence, wisdom and faith, he remained loyal to the message and principles of his organization for 32 years, starting with the fundamental strategic principles he set for himself. Chief  of these was his leadership of the resistance forces, which represented a front of support unprecedented in history [that stood] alongside the resistance of our Palestinian people. In doing so, he attained the dearest aspiration and the highest degree of elevation in ascending to Heaven as a martyr on the path to Jerusalem and Palestine. [He will] live forever in the hearts of both the Arab and the Islamic nations, and in the consciousness of the jihad fighters and honorable people, who insist on continuing the jihad for the victory of Palestine, Lebanon and their peoples and in defense of their sovereignty and honor.

"In parting from him, Palestine – from its President[2] to its factions, its resistance, its people, and all its honorable freedom-lovers – remembers the biography of the martyr Nasrallah, filled with sacrifice for the liberation of Jerusalem and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque; his courageous positions in support of our people, its resistance and its legitimate rights; and his insistence on maintaining the [activity of] the support front, including [acts of] sacrifice and the fall of martyrs.

"Nasrallah led Hizbullah to a qualitative turning point, enhancing its power and presence so that it now serves as an important lever, both in the Lebanese arena and in its ties with the Palestinian resistance, which it supports in everything it needs. His historic stand alongside our Palestinian people will be recorded in letters of gold, and his blood will mix with the blood of the martyrs of Palestine, for he sacrificed his soul for Al-Aqsa, demonstrating the noblest kind of cooperation and unity."[3]

The Al-Quds editorial

In a separate article, Al-Quds editor Ibrahim Melḥem praised Nasrallah, stating: "Just like the significance of his presence, the magnitude of his absence is now becoming evident. Likewise, the prominence of the symbolism, role and charisma he held in the landscape of the decades-long conflict is on a par with the magnitude of the loss [we feel] at this regional and international juncture that is the most dangerous in the history of the conflict, with new maps being drawn in blood and rubble."[4]

Also on September 29, the daily published an article titled "The Elimination of Hassan Nasrallah – The End of a Brave Man," in which various commentators analyzed the situation following the death of Nasrallah. Adnan Al-Sabbah wrote that "Nasrallah's martyrdom is a significant loss, for he was seen as one of the wise men of the nation and of the resistance."[5]

Al-Quds Columnist: Nasrallah's Elimination Is A Terrible Disaster

Hamdi Faraj wrote in his October 1, 2024 column: "Your assassination, O Master [Nasrallah], has plunged us, along with all members of the nation that strives for the liberation of Palestine, into a phase of sorrow and black depression, dominated by grief and [a sense of] heavy disaster, mixed with feelings of denial and disbelief... For decades, we became accustomed to seeing you appear before us, saying words unlike any others, delivering speeches unlike any others, and [being] a leader unlike any other. You charged us with incredible positive energy and addressed us as we should be addressed: appealing to our intellect while ignoring religious and ethnic differences and racism, despite your wide cloak, long beard and black turban. "You consistently supported the poor and the oppressed... That is why you supported Gaza from the very first day until your last day and final breath, as though you wished for your noble blood to mingle with Gaza's...

"O master of this phase, we did not regard you as an ordinary man. Compared to our other leaders, both present and past, you were like an ideological, historical, religious, linguistic, moral and military encyclopedia... Today you take leave of us, just like hundreds of previous martyrs whom the occupation marked as targets. I say this to ease our profound [sense of] tragedy and shorten our mourning period following your departure: our nation is capable of bringing forth hundreds who will continue your path...

"O master of our souls that yearn for freedom, your departure forever may delay the victory you promised, but after this assassination, peace has become utterly impossible…"[6]