The Enemies of the Arab Nation Have Always Attempted, by All Possible Means, to Sow Division Among Its People and Between the Arab States

Translated by Ahmed Raslan
Reviewed by Mohaned Mohammed

The truth is, the time I have spent with you is among the happiest I can ever experience, for it has always been filled with noble and generous emotions, expressing the brotherhood and love that serve as the hive constitution of the Arab nation’s unity. It is the brotherhood among the Arab people in every Arab land and the love between Arabs in every Arab country. We feel great confidence in the future, by God's will, for we march on our path for the sake of the dignity of our country and the dignity of all Arabism. We rely on this spirit that emanates from every Arab country and every Arab village, even without meeting their people, but through the confluence of hearts, the love of our Arab nation, the independence of our Arab lands and the labor for the glory of the Arab homeland.

The enemies of the Arab nation have always attempted, by every possible means, to divide its people and to drive a wedge between Arab states, spreading campaigns of hatred throughout the Arab people in every Arab homeland. Our brotherly Lebanon has long been subjected to these campaigns; campaigns of hatred continue to be sown across Lebanon and throughout the Arab world. In the past, these campaigns were conducted by Western colonial circles; today, they are carried out by colonial circles and their agents, as well as by puppet communists. By doing so, they attempt to fragment the unity of the Arab people to overpower and subjugate us.

However, this spirit and this profound awareness, an awareness I have witnessed on every occasion, only increase my conviction that the Arab nation, after suffering long in the past, is determined to arm itself with awareness to stand against its enemies. This awareness is our weapon against those who seek to dominate us, those who spread hatred and sedition in our midst and those who covet our land, whether they be imperialists or puppet communists. Therefore, we march toward the future with resolve and faith, armed with brotherhood, love and solidarity. We march toward the future united by hearts, a unity you have expressed today through these beautiful sentiments that reflect pure love, a love that seeks no price and seeks nothing but its faith in its right to freedom and life, standing shoulder to shoulder with its Arab brothers in every Arab country.

This spirit and these feelings I have seen today are our fundamental weapon in our great battle for the freedom and solidarity of the Arab nation; for the unity of Arabs against the enemies of Arabs; for the solidarity of Arabs against the enemies of Arabs; and for the creation of a dignified and noble Arab homeland. We strive for an Arab unity that gathers us now in this place without constitutional or legal union, for it is a unity of feelings, a unity expressed through the exchange of affection, brotherhood and the hope for the well-being of every one of us in any Arab nation.

This is the true unity that brings us together, for whatever hits Lebanon hits us, for whatever hits us hits Lebanon and whatever afflicts any Arab country afflicts us all. This is our unity; this is our manifestation of Arab unity, a unity of solidarity against our enemies. It is not a unity built on greed, not a unity built on serving the foreigner or the agents of colonialism or foreign dependency. Rather, it is a pure unity, free of ambitions and without constitutional mandates. It gathers us now in this place, the sons of the United Arab Republic and the sons of Lebanon, feeling love fluttering over our heads, brotherhood uniting our ranks and kindness springing from our hearts and souls.

With this spirit, we hope for the future; we feel a great power in Lebanon against the campaigns of hatred targeting Lebanon, just as they target the United Arab Republic, and against the campaigns of hatred that aim to drag us all into submission under colonial control, and against the campaigns of hatred carried out by communists to bind us to the wheel of dependency.

With this faith, noble spirit, love and brotherhood, God willing, we shall always triumph in the future just as we triumphed in the past.

I wish for Lebanon and for its president all glory, progress, and prosperity. I ask you to convey to the people of Lebanon my greetings and the sentiments of the people of the United Arab Republic. I thank you very much.

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Speech by President Gamal Abdel Nasser to the Lebanese delegations at the Republican Palace in Cairo

On April 23, 1959