⁨Journalist Ali Abu Aqa 𓂆⁩ محادثة

PFLP "A Statement of Condolences for a Comrade, a Fighter, and a Great Internationalist ♦️The Popular Front mourns the loss of Comrade Kazu Okamoto (Ahmed al-Yabani), a great internationalist and revolutionary, one of the heroes of the heroic and immortal Lod Airport operation. With the highest sense of pride and reverence, and with the greatest sense of loyalty and internationalist struggle, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, on behalf of its General Secretary, his Deputy, its Political Bureau, its Central Committee, and all its members and supporters in the homeland and the diaspora, mourns the loss of our heroic Palestinian people, our Arab nation, and all free people around the world, the internationalist fighter who never stood for anything but the truth and freedom, Comrade Kazu Okamoto (Ahmed al-Yabani). He passed away today, Thursday, July 23, 2026, in the neighborhood of Dignity and Honor, the Lebanese capital, Beirut, steadfast in his principles after a life filled with glory and revolution, and great sacrifices spanning decades in the fields of struggle alongside the Palestinian cause. He never compromised or yielded, but remained steadfast in his principles until his last breath. 🔻A Life of Glory and Splendor... From the Farthest Reaches of the Earth to the Heart of Palestine • Comrade Kazu Okamoto was born on December 7, 1947, in the city of Kumamoto in southern Japan, to a middle-class family, and was the youngest of his seven siblings. • Comrade was distinguished by his sharp intelligence and exceptional abilities. He studied botany and mastered many languages with remarkable skill (English, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, and Russian) in a short time, utilizing his knowledge and scientific expertise in service of the cause he loved. • He was one of the heroes of the heroic Lod Airport operation on May 30, 1972, in which Comrade Okamoto and his comrades, with their blood and minds, carried out one of the bravest and most creative guerrilla operations in the history of the conflict with the Zionist entity. It was carried out by the heroes of the Japanese Red Army in cooperation with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, in retaliation for the occupation's aggression against Beirut Airport in 1968. • This operation shook the foundations of the entity and inspired resistance forces with exceptional methods of confronting Zionist arrogance. It prompted the late literary leader Ghassan Kanafani, the spokesperson for the Front at the time, to claim responsibility for it. Kanafani was later assassinated in a Zionist bombing in July 1972. • Comrade Okamoto spent thirteen years in harsh Israeli prisons, most of which were in solitary confinement, which aimed to break his will, mind, and body. The world witnessed the brutality of the jailer, who forced him to eat with his hands tied behind his back, but the internationalist will roared in the face of the jailer, and he remained steadfast like a towering mountain. • On May 20, 1985, he was released as part of a prisoner exchange (Operation Gilad), led by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command. He remained a living symbol of the struggle until the Lebanese state granted him political asylum in 2000, in recognition of his struggle, and he lived as a fighter until he passed away in the proud city of Beirut. • The Popular Front honored Comrade Okamoto in 2016 in recognition of his enduring contributions and great sacrifices alongside the Palestinian cause. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, as it bids farewell today to a courageous and pioneering comrade who traveled thousands of miles, leaving behind his comfort to bear the burden of the Palestinian cause on his shoulders, affirms that "Ahmed al-Yabani" was a true member of the Palestinian revolutionary body and a symbol of true internationalism, which believes in global resistance to imperialism. He was born in Japan, carried his soul to Palestine, and surrendered it in the neighborhood of Dignity in Beirut, standing tall, and he never surrendered it to the enemy. The Front pledges to his memory and to the entire history of internationalist struggle to remain true to its commitments, a raised sword and a banner for the truth until the liberation of all of Palestine, from its river to its sea, and its capital, Jerusalem. Let us make the departure of Comrade Kazu Okamoto a turning point to strengthen international revolutionary unity in the face of imperialism and global Zionism. Glory to the soul of the great fighter, and to all free fighters... and freedom to the prisoners... and we will surely be victorious. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine July 23, 2026 [TT]