Toast to Caledonia

BURNS SUPPER - GLASGOW,Friday January 19, 2001
 

Lord Provost, First Minister, Ladies and Gentlemen

For your friendship and hospitality, for the honour you bestow on me by
inviting me to lead the toast to Caledonia, I am proud and grateful.

I know that traditionally such a toast is given by your compatriots living or
working abroad, by those of Scottish descent long since exiled, by Scots
wherever they happen to be, as they gather together on this night to
celebrate their national poet, remember and honour their country, share
memories, hopes and aspirations.

On this night we also celebrate the brotherhood of all mankind, wherever
their homes or their exile be, "that man to man the warld o'er shall brothers
be for a'that"…

For me and my Palestinian compatriots to be regarded in this way, as Scots,
is a singular honour, deeply welcomed and cherished and I wish to reciprocate
it tonight.  There is so much we can share - though a Scottish friend did
advise me that he would wish to spare me the Scottish weather…. As Burns
might have said, he told me,

    'You wouldn't want to be 'dreekit, drookit an' drooned in Drumnadroket',

But questionable weather apart, how can one forget the human warmth we,
Palestinians encounter each time we move beyond Hadrian's Wall.  It was
Scotland that pioneered in twinnings with Palestinian cities:  Dundee with
Nablus and Glasgow with Bethlehem even when it was still perceived as
suicidal to be pro-Palestinian, even when it was seen as electorally
rewarding to be anti-Palestinian. 

 Lord Provost,  I am sure you still remember that when around Christmas time
in 1995, the city of Bethlehem was finally evacuated by the occupation
forces, it was the bagpipes donated from Glasgow that led the celebrations of
Joy, a feeling the inhabitants had long forgotten.  Eventhough  the technique
and the expertise of our boy scouts left much to be desired, the sounds
emanating from the Glasgow bagpipes were undeniably music to our ears.

Those twinning arrangements have not been deployed to their full potential
because of the con strain ts still inflicted on the freedom of movement of
people and products, the closures and restraints on trade, commerce and free
exchanges.  But, Ladies and Gentlemen, having enormously suffered from the
concept of the Promised Land, we intend, in the future to make Palestine the
promising land and Scottish-Palestinian relations will dynamically take off.


Lord Provost, the honour and friendship which you kindly afford us is in
keeping with the life and spirit of Caledonia's poet, yes, the world's poet,
the immortal Bard, and I rejoice that this should be so.

Uniquely, powerfully, incomparably this extraordinarily gifted man - Robert
Burns - lived and endured the whole gamut of human emotion and endeavour, in
birth and death, life and work, war and peace, hate and love, mourning and
celebration.

Caledonia! Palestina! Latin names.  Roman names.  Names which conjure up many
poignant images…

Heritage, tradition
Honour, betrayal
Failure, success
Tranquility, turbulence
Love, war
Aspiration, disappointment and disenchantment

On this night, however, I would speak of hope and aspiration, for both our
peoples, for all peoples, for Caledonians and Palestinians, and imagine, hope
for, pray for, what Robert Burns cherished… to live, love and prosper no
matter the disappointments and the agonies we encounter on our journeys as
individuals, or as banded together, or as countries and nations, or as exiles
and dispossessed.


Caledonia embarks on a new century and a new millennium with vision and
determination, a vision which is determined by your new and restored
Parliament and Government, by ideals and aims visibly taking shape, from now
on, at your will and your command, to hold and guide in large part your own
freedom and destiny.

Scotland's vision for the future is informed by its political, social and
cultural traditions…its earnest desire -

    For social inclusion,
          justice,
                  fairness
                  equality
                  human rights
                learning opportunities for all
                better health services
                  new business opportunities and prosperity
               information technologies
                  the love of your land and seas and the nurture they require
                   supporting Peace and Justice…

Lord Provost, my people will eternally be indebted to the Scottish friends of
Palestine, to the Trade Union friends of Palestine, to the
Scottish-Palestinian Forum and the newly established Scottish-Palestinian All
Party Parliamentary Committee for their dedication in raising awareness here
in Scotland about the dilemmas of the Middle East.
In Palestine, we still suffer, search and struggle, knowing where we wish to
go, knowing the freedom we desire…

Recognition
An end to exile and dispossession
Statehood and return to the Homeland
Freedom to worship at our Holy Sites
Medical care for all our families
A future for our children
Opportunities for our young people
Care for our elderly
Peace, above all, peace.

In recent months especially, we have been greatly pained.  We hav4 endured,
striven and suffered for the want of freedom and liberty,

As Robert Burns said…

The smiles of love adorn
Man's inhumanity to man
Makes countless thousands mourn

But Robert burns, as well as he understood what he called the cruel blasts of
fate and deadly banes - "tumult, disquiet, rebellion and strife" - he also
understood love and peace, and love's smiles and favours, hopes and joys…

"Peace thy olive wand extend,
And bid wild war his ravage end,
Man and brother man to meet,
And as brother kindly greet"

Ladies and Gentlemen
            We, the Palestinians, have become the victims of the victims of
European history.  Today we are the Jews of the Jews yet we do not want the
Israelis to become tomorrow the Palestinians of the Palestinians hence we are
fully committed to the Two States Solution living side by side in Peace and
Harmony.

For decades, History was undecided whether there was, in the Middle east, one
people too many or whether we had a State which was missing and needed to be
created.  Throughout those long years of uncertainty, I remained fully
confident that Palestine will resurrect and as you know, we, in Jerusalem,
have had some previous experience in Resurrection.

Between us, I hope the bonds of peace, friendship and succour will grow and
‎‎strengthen.  Robert Burns wrote movingly of conflict, liberty and peace
and while he spoke of these in the context of his own experience, what he
said of Caledonia particularly - and he how deeply he cherished his native
land - is true for the aspirations of all communities and nations…

Thus bold, independent, unconquer-d and free,
Her bright course of glory for ever shall run:
For brave Caledonia immortal must be:

For all of us, I wish freedom and independence, peace and prosperity.  For
Caledonians, I wish you pride in
your achievements, honour among your friends, health and prosperity for your
families and your children. I ask you to be mindful of us, help us, and work
with us for what Robert Burns, living his life to the full, cherished so
profoundly.  Borrowing his words…

Come, ye Sons and Daughters of Libertie,
Caledonia's offspring, brace as free!
In danger's hour still flaming in the van,
Ye know and dare maintain the royalty of man!

Before I come to the final act, let me share with you a joke now fashionable
in diplomatic circles.  What is the difference between an Ambassador and a
Camel?
A Camel can work for ten days without drinking while an Ambassador can drink
for ten days without working.  Lord Provost, I am sure you can testify that I
am closer to a Camel.

Ladies, and Gentlemen, I now invite you to be upstanding

(pause)

TOAST

To the royalty and dignity of Caledonia, to the royalty of all mankind, to
freedom, peace and prosperity for all.

Ladies and Gentlemen, To Caledonia!


Thank you