Yesterday, Palestinians of all stripes united in a moment of grief for one of the last great Palestinian intellectuals and visionaries, Haidar Abdel Shafi.

Thousands of mourners thronged the streets in Gaza where Abdel Shafi was buried after succumbing to cancer Tuesday. Among them were members of Hamas, Fateh and all other political parties.

Abdel Shafi’s universal appeal had so much to do with the character of the man. He was respected across party lines by those who understood that he was a man of integrity and honour, as well as at the vanguard of the Palestinian intellectual elite.

He was true to his word. As head of the Palestinian delegation to the Madrid peace negotiations, he never budged an inch over what he saw as the unalterable rights of Palestinians: freedom, independence and the right of return of those had been dispossessed in 1948, the horrors of which he had lived through himself.

He resigned in protest against the Oslo negotiations that had been started behind everyone’s back and which he came to see, rightly as it turned out, as a trap. Nevertheless, he did not shy away from giving his utmost to the nascent Palestinian Authority when it was created.

His was not a quest for power, though, but for principle. As soon as he saw how toothless the Palestinian Legislative Council was, he walked away. And when supporters began to clamour for him to run for president in 2005, he declined, politely, excusing himself as too old.

A doctor by education, perhaps his greatest gift to Palestinians, however, was the founding of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, so crucial in these last disastrous years.

The unity among his mourners yesterday should stand as a lesson to those who would lead the Palestinian people. Fear can always be imposed. Love and respect must be earned through dedication and integrity. And one good man can make a difference.

Let us hope that in his honour, Palestinians come to understand that unity is the best weapon they have against their oppressors.