Palestinian envoy opens Palestine National Day celebration in PH
Palestinian Ambassador to the Philippines Mounir Anastas and Foreign Minister of Palestine Varsen Aghabekian Shaihin deliver their remarks to open the Palestine National Day celebration in Makati City on Nov. 18, 2025.
VIDEO BY BEN KRITZ
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00:00I put their names on the screen. Yes, because I don't have the list, but you can see them there. Maybe I should mention at least the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra that is on the stage.
00:15I'm not going to mention the UN because it's not a sponsor, it's a partner. And all the others that you see on the screen. If I mention all of them, it will be too long. And then you will get bored and you will not listen to the others. So please listen to them carefully.
00:39Now, the most important thing, and this is a serious note, you will notice that today we are not going to raise a toast, unfortunately. And you will notice that there is no wine, unfortunately, as well.
00:54And there will be no cake cutting and all this because of the bad situation in Palestine. The ceasefire is a good thing that we appreciate, but it is fragile. And with the ceasefire, the problems are not over.
01:11So that's why no toast, no cake, no wine. Inshallah, next year.
01:20You listen to two pieces of music at the beginning. One was entitled Vision of Peace from Bethlehem, but the audience was not so attentive. The second one was Bethlehem's voice.
01:35Nevertheless, nevertheless, after the speeches, there will be only one piece, one single piece that will be three minutes long, not more, really three minutes.
01:47It is variations on a traditional Palestinian theme, Wayne Haramallah in Arabic, but in English, I don't know, I translated it, heading to Ramallah.
01:57Minister, it's okay. She approves, so it's okay. Then, after this, of course, we will open the buffet in which you will find some Palestinian national dishes like the malfouf or the makloube, and there will be msakhan as well.
02:18Of course, many other things, but these are the three national dishes of Palestine, and as I insist, the makloube is purely Palestinian.
02:28While the malfouf, it is a shared heritage in the Middle East, in Bilal Isham, all of the countries around, they do it, of course.
02:36The Palestinian people's unyielding and steadfast struggle for freedom, dignity, and independence.
02:45Despite all the challenges, and we've had numerous challenges in the last seven decades, I can assure you,
02:54we have been facing through a belligerent occupation with ongoing violations on the West Bank,
03:01central wars on Gaza in the last 20 years, and a two-year brutal aggression on the Gaza Strip,
03:09and the strangling of East Jerusalem, yet our spirit has not been broken, but our resilience strengthened to still speak the language of hope and justice.
03:25Solidarity is not, and must be not used as a slogan.
03:32Solidarity is responsibility, with each and every one of us approaching it within our own means and capabilities.
03:41Solidarity simply means refusing to look away from suffering and injustice.
03:47It also means refusing to be neutral when others' rights are denied.
03:55And it means raising our voices when others are silenced and thus speaking to power, regardless who is in power.
04:06Solidarity with Palestine means affirming that every Palestinian life has value,
04:12that every Palestinian child deserves a future, and every Palestinian and every people, no matter who or where they are,
04:23have the right to self-determination, freedom, and dignity.
04:28We gather to affirm universal principles, that no child should go under bombardment,
04:36no family should be forced from their home, and no suffering should be treated as invisible.
04:46On this day, we also remember that Palestine is more than just pain and struggle.
04:53Palestine is culture, it is poetry, it is music, it is food, it is dance, it is olive trees standing tall for centuries.
05:04It is cross-stitch gowns, and some of you are wearing those beautiful gowns, that are prepared with passion.
05:14It is stories from one generation to the next, of life that was and to be revived,
05:22of towns and villages and cities that live in the hearts of Palestinians all over the world.
05:28Celebrating Palestinians National Day means celebrating the identity, the heritage, the struggle that occupation can never, ever erase.
05:41It tells the Palestinian people, you are telling us, we see you, we hear you, and we stand with you.
05:49We stand with you, not only in grief, but unwavering hope, that one day, the world will no longer speak of the Palestine question,
06:02but of a free, sovereign, independent Palestine, living in peace, equality, and security with its neighbors,
06:09and celebrating freedom fulfilled.
06:12What we aspire to is to live in peace and security next to all our neighbors, including the state of Israel that we have recognized over three decades ago.
06:25Let us seize any opportunity that will bring us closer to peace, and today we have an opportunity.
06:32Albeit it's a starting point, but we hope that this is a prelude to something bigger,
06:38something that will bring us closer to what peace entails, and full independence on this Palestine National Day.
06:48Let us stand on the side of justice, human dignity, and international law.
06:55We are asking nothing but compliance with international law.
07:00Resisting indifference and building hope for a better future for all.
07:06That future entails the state of Palestine in the midst of the Middle East.
07:13A state of Palestine that has secure borders, and security for its people,
07:18and the security of all the states surrounding it, and the security of those people as well.
07:25Thank you very much, and enjoy the rest of the evening.
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