Sahem M. Abadi

"By the grace of Allah, I have been blessed with multiple visits to Palestine as part of official delegations and for conducting Jordanian-Palestinian meetings. Jenin has been my almost permanent base during these visits, where I entered the homes of its people, experiencing a deep connection through shared life, hospitality, loyalty, blood ties, religion, and love."
"When I embarked on my first visit to Jenin, a place my late father used to talk to me about during his years of military service there, I was filled with the longing of a loving person for its people. I had never seen them in my life, but they were my family through the love my late father had for them and their love for him. Meeting them felt like a reof souls, as if I knew them all or had just left them moments ago and returned to them. Not for a moment did I feel that they were not part of me or that I did not belong to them, for I am a son of every family among them."
As you depart from the Deir Sharaf triangle towards Jenin, you will find on your right-hand side the towns of An-Naqura, Sabastiya, and Silet ad-Dhahr. After that comes Jabaa, and on your left, you will pass through 'Ajjah and al-Mansura. You will enter Arraba, then Ya'bad, and you'll get to know 'Arana, Sandala, Al-Jalama, and the ruins of Jalboun and Burqin. You will wander through the streets of Jenin, visit their gatherings, and attend their celebrations. You will graciously partake in their food and hospitality. You will become acquainted with every place where the brave soldiers of our great Arab Jordanian army fought. You will know the tombs of the martyrs in Ya'bad, Yamun, Kafr, and the Martyrs' Triangle, and even the cemetery of the heroic Iraqi army martyrs.
I also know the mother of the hero of Jalboun Prison, Hajjah Um Mahmoud Al-Arda, and I visited her at her home in Arraba. I entered her chosen house, met her family, and saw her olive trees. I am familiar with Marj Ibn Amer and even the "Hawakir" of Dheikhan.
In Jenin, you can't help but feel that you are a son of this land, where men stand steadfast, unwavering in their commitment to Palestine and its soil, regardless of the obstacles and temptations they face. They are the people of this land and its rightful owners.
In Jenin, you feel that Arab identity and the history of the nation are still thriving. You sense that the dignity of this nation is a sacred trust held by the people of Jenin. No matter how strong the occupation may be, they have a steadfast belief that Palestine is their land, to live and die for.
In Jenin, martyrs are celebrated with ceremonies of joy and triumph. The martyr is escorted to paradise, and you find the people of Jenin as if they were one man, with their mothers united as one. Their joy is shared, and their grief is shared as well.
The mother of martyrs and prisoners, in her eighties, who had sacrificed her sons and other family members, answered me that she wished to get married and have children because Palestine "needs someone to defend it and liberate it." She was the one who lifted my spirits, as if I needed that dose of morale.
In Jenin, among its elderly men of wisdom and stature, I heard them speaking about a certain family that hadn't had a martyr for some time. Allahu Akbar, they were racing for martyrdom in Jenin.
Despite the advanced military capabilities of the occupation, they have failed to enter the camp of Jenin, which is no larger than one square kilometer. They were repelled, while the people of the camp emerged victorious. They strive for life, while the people of Jenin embrace death for the sake of Jenin and all of Palestine.
Those who know Jenin, its people, their clans, their resilience, and their dignity, understand well that Jenin is the gateway to victory and liberation, no matter how long the night of occupation may be.
May Allah bless the people of Jenin with goodness, both morning and evening. Here in Jordan, our hearts beat for you, and we pray for you. Just as our fathers and grandfathers were with you, we are also with you until victory.
Indeed, victory is coming, no matter how long it takes.
Translated by Haifa Ghaith