‘They Can’t Take The Sea From US’

The True Tale of The Moral Fighter

• CrossFireArabia
• September 1, 2026

This is a page from the tales of popular resistance and the formation of Palestinian consciousness Radwan Barghouti writes in Arabic from his home in Sweden. He points out it is a true story which he posted on his Facebook page.

He writes: “In that generation, they knew that resisting occupation was not only about courage in the face of the enemy, but also about morality in dealing with oneself.”

He tells a true tale “of a young man, a member of the Palestinian Communist Party, who he upset mother. The party leadership in his area received word of the story, so they summoned him and held him to a harsh disciplinary hearing.

Today, the story might seem amusing or a bit strange; someone might ask: What does the party have to do with a young man’s relationship with his mother? But those who lived through that era saw the matter from a completely different perspective.

In their view, a fighter did not represent only himself. His daily behavior reflects on the cause to which he belongs to. Then morality was not a marginal detail, nor a personal matter that could be separated from the struggle. A fighter was questioned about his actions as much as his stances: How he treated his mother, how he spoke to his neighbor, how he preserved people’s dignity, how he behaved when he disagreed, and how he used force when it was at his disposal.

Resistance did not grant its adherents any moral privilege simply for resisting occupation. On the contrary, it placed a greater burden upon them: To live up to the ideals they championed in their daily lives.

There was a profound understanding that the liberation of Palestine could not be merely a change of power on the ground, but also a restoration of the Palestinian people’s dignity, values, and ability to live freely and with honor.

Therefore, the freedom fighter was required to resist within themselves what he resisted externally: Injustice, arrogance, selfishness, the humiliation of the weak, and the exploitation of position or power.

Perhaps this is why this small story seems more than just a tale of a mother upset with her son. It unintentionally conveys a complete understanding of what it means to be a freedom fighter: For Palestine you defend to be present in your character, not just in your slogans.

For what is the value of defeating your enemy if you lose yourself along the way? What does it mean to dream of a free homeland when we don’t know how to create even a modicum of freedom, respect, and justice in our own homes, streets, and relationships?

They believed that the cause needed not only loud voices but also strong consciences, and that a true fighter is not just one who demands sacrifices from others, but one who begins by holding themselves accountable.

Therefore, resistance, in its deepest sense, was more than a battle for land; it was an attempt to build a human being worthy of the land they sought to liberate, a human being who understands that the Palestine we struggle for must begin, before it is liberated on the map, in the character of those who bear its name.”