They Called Me a Lioness: A Palestinian Girl's Fight for Freedom

by Ahed Tamimi

I also believe that in order for the Palestinians to achieve anything meaningful, we first need national unity and strong leadership that actually inspires and mobilizes the people. We currently have neither. I fault all the Palestinian political parties for this, and I don’t pledge allegiance to any of them, despite the respect I have for the roles they’ve historically played in advancing the Palestinian cause. In more recent times, though, Palestinian parties and leaders have caused us to take ten steps backward instead of one single, meaningful step forward. Too many of our leaders have prioritized their personal interests, whether financial or ego-driven, ahead of the collective interests of the nation. They insist on pursuing a doomed two-state solution that’s long been championed by the United States and that consistently puts Israel’s interests above ours, when the majority of our people now reject it. It kills me to see those leaders cling to power when there’s a generation of bright young Palestinians with fresh ideas and charismatic personalities who could steer the course and advance our cause. So long as we remain without real leadership or unity, we will never be free.