Lighting Candles in Gaza’s Darkness: Why Action Matters More Than Applause

 

By Hani Hazaimeh

In times of profound geopolitical upheaval and moral reckoning, the true character of nations and their leaders is revealed—not through slogans, but through meaningful action. As the Arab world endures one of the gravest humanitarian catastrophes of its modern era—the brutal, prolonged assault on Gaza—the chasm between rhetoric and reality has never been more glaring.

Since Israel’s aggression against the Gaza Strip began in October 2023, the world has watched in horror: neighborhoods flattened, children pulled lifeless from rubble, hospitals turned into graveyards. The death toll, once human, has become numerical—numbingly rising by the day. And amid this unbearable suffering, the Arab and Islamic world’s response has been loud in outrage but lacking in tangible solidarity.

Here lies the painful paradox: those who act are often the first to be attacked.

❝ Helping Gaza Shouldn’t Be Controversial ❞

Countries like Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE have taken clear, coordinated steps to provide humanitarian relief—airlifting medical supplies, sending field hospitals, dispatching truckloads of food and flour, and pressuring for humanitarian corridors.

Yet these efforts have been met not with gratitude, but with accusations of normalization, political theater, and worse—denial. When Jordanian aid trucks were filmed entering Gaza, critics pounced. Some denied the footage; others mocked the effort. The same pattern followed UAE and Saudi aid initiatives.

This moral and intellectual duplicity betrays a deeper rot: the elevation of ideological purity over practical compassion. Some critics, insulated in digital echo chambers and distant hotel lobbies, prefer slogans to solutions. They dismiss aid as weakness because it is not accompanied by revolution.

But every loaf of bread delivered, every bandage applied, every child saved—is a form of resistance. It is a defiant act in the face of death. It is life asserting itself.

❝ Jordan’s Commitment to Palestine Is Not Performative ❞

Let us be clear: Jordan’s support for Palestine is not symbolic, seasonal, or performative. It is deeply rooted in history, blood, and principle. Since the Nakba in 1948, Jordan has borne the brunt of the Palestinian tragedy—hosting millions of refugees, advocating at international forums, and absorbing the political, economic, and security toll of principled solidarity.

Despite logistical nightmares and political backlash, Jordan continues to act—not because it is easy, and certainly not because it is fashionable—but because it is right.

And Jordan is not alone.

• Saudi Arabia has deployed diplomatic weight and humanitarian assistance, pressing for ceasefire negotiations.

• The UAE has sent convoys and field hospitals, delivering aid especially to northern Gaza.

These are not gestures. These are lifesaving, dignity-restoring efforts that should be encouraged, not ridiculed.

❝ The Binary Thinking That Paralyzes Arab Action ❞

Critics demand purity or nothing. To them, if an action doesn’t lead directly to liberation, it is betrayal. This maximalist worldview has long paralyzed effective Arab responses to crises. It replaces real-world support with hashtag heroism and substitutes moral outrage for material aid.

In the worst cases, it promotes nihilism: the belief that unless you can end the occupation tomorrow, your efforts don’t matter. But this mentality dismisses incremental relief—the kind that saves lives today, even if it doesn’t solve everything tomorrow.

What has your anger achieved if it doesn’t result in medicine, food, or shelter for those suffering in Gaza?

❝ Gaza Needs More Than Your Tweets ❞

Let us stop romanticizing suffering. Let us not confuse defiance with delay. Every child saved today is a future voice for Palestine. Every family fed is a shield against despair. Every warm blanket is an act of dignity.

To our critics, we ask: What have you done?

• Did you sponsor a child?

• Did you send food or medicine?

• Did you write to your lawmakers or raise funds?
  Or did you simply express outrage on social media, then move on?

The real betrayal is silence. The real complicity is inaction.

❝ We Will Continue Lighting Candles ❞

Jordan will continue to act. Not because it wins applause, but because it saves lives. We know the road to liberation is long—and it passes through political, humanitarian, and diplomatic terrain. But it cannot be paved by cynicism alone.

So let the cynics scoff. Let the critics shout.

We will keep sending trucks. We will keep operating hospitals. We will keep feeding Gaza—not because it’s easy, not because it’s perfect, but because Gaza needs light, not lectures.

When history is written, it won’t remember the tweets or tirades.
It will remember the hands that helped, the trucks that crossed, and the hearts that stood firm.

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