From Gaza to Paris, women are leading where men fail

Forget the posturing of presidents. Two principled Arab women are stepping up with integrity while the world slides toward war

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The world teeters on the edge of catastrophe. Too many of those in power, largely men, are driven by manipulation, violence and greed. As a result, we appear to be edging ever closer to a third world war. But real leadership isn’t found in the halls of power. It lives in those who act with integrity, compassion and courage, many of them women whose moral clarity offers us a path back from the brink.

I learned a great deal about leadership from my own family. Though my Syrian grandparents passed away when I was young, my father’s four older sisters became the matriarchs. What I remember most is how they made me feel—cherished, heard and inspired to be a better person. I also watched them overcome adversity with inner strength, dignity and determination. I see the same qualities today in two Arab women living in the diaspora.

One of them is Hala Rharrit, an award-winning U.S. diplomat who served 18 years in the U.S. State Department, primarily as spokesperson for the Middle East and North Africa.

Fluent in both English and Arabic, she dedicated her career to diplomacy because, as she put it, she is “fundamentally a peacemaker, but, unfortunately, I saw … that there is some institutionalized corruption within our government that profits from war at all costs, that profits from genocide.”

Her decision stands in sharp contrast to the actions of Matthew Miller, who served as spokesperson for the same State Department under former U.S. President Joe Biden. After leaving office, Miller admitted he believes that Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza. When asked why he didn’t say so while in government, he replied, “When you’re at the podium, you’re not expressing your opinion, you’re expressing the conclusions of the United States government.”

In other words, Miller chose to protect his position by staying silent. Rharrit chose to sacrifice her career to tell the truth. Need we ask which of them showed true leadership?

Rharrit continues to act on her convictions.

She joined thousands in Egypt for the Global March to Gaza, aiming to reach the Rafah crossing to protest the forced famine in Gaza. But Egyptian authorities detained or deported many before they got close.

Another example of moral courage is Rima Hassan, who, like many taking part in the Global March to Gaza, was inspired by the unarmed crew of the Madleen, a small European aid boat attempting to deliver food and medical supplies to Gaza. The boat was seized by the Israeli military in international waters.

Hassan’s family was exiled from Palestine in 1948, and she has since become a representative in the European Parliament for the far-left France Unbowed party. At a rally at Place de la République in Paris, Hassan spoke of her brutal detention by Israeli authorities, treatment she noted was far milder than what Palestinians without political influence endure. Her most defiant act was bringing back a twig from an olive tree growing in her ancestral homeland, a symbol of resilience and hope.

Her party leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, captured the power of that gesture when he addressed the crowd:

“She has given us an extraordinary lesson in courage … that liberty, the respect of the person, and the lives of people in Gaza are universal messages that concern every human being.”

True leadership does not reside in Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump, Joe Biden or Matthew Miller. It lives in Hala Rharrit, Rima Hassan, and in the mothers, sisters, aunts, grandmothers and daughters who call us to live with integrity, courage and respect for every human being, reminding us of the greatness within each of us and showing a way back from the precipice of war.

Gerry Chidiac specializes in languages and genocide studies and works with at-risk students. He received an award from the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre for excellence in teaching about the Holocaust.