Theresa Halsa: A Woman Ahead of Her Time, A Memory That Cannot Be Erased
The Jordanian‑Palestinian freedom fighter Theresa Halsa is one of the most important symbols of Palestinian resistance, in general and, in particular, women’s resistance. She was a woman who shattered every mould that sought to confine women.
This icon was born in the great city of Acre — one of the oldest cities in historic Palestine — in 1955, to a Jordanian father and a Palestinian mother. But she chose to belong to something far greater than paperwork or nationality. She chose to belong to Palestine — as destiny, as duty, and as an unshakable truth, because Palestinian blood ran through her veins.
At just seventeen, she joined the resistance. She took part in the 1972 “Sabena” operation, defending a besieged people and demanding the release of Palestinian prisoners — many of whom were tortured to death or subjected to severe abuse.
She was the youngest member of the group and the only woman — yet she was never on the margins. She was at the centre of the event, the centre of the idea, the centre of Palestine and the centre of every Palestinian who had been displaced or tortured.
She was arrested, sentenced to life imprisonment, and subjected to harsh treatment, yet she walked out of prison exactly as she entered it: head held high, steady, unbroken. She was not a “hero” in the romantic sense — she was a human being who paid the full price of her convictions, without hesitation or embellishment, simply as a woman born to a Palestinian mother.
Theresa Halsa passed away on March 28, 2020, in Amman, after a battle with lung cancer. She left this world exactly as she lived in it: dignified, resilient, and loyal to Palestine until her final breath. Her death was not the end of a story, but the end of a chapter in the life of a woman who paid a price entire nations have never paid, and who carried memory and conviction even while fighting illness.
The Turning Point: Why Did Theresa Take Up Arms?
Her decision to join the armed struggle was not impulsive or reckless — it was the direct result of the harsh reality Palestinians lived every day.
In 1970, she witnessed an event in Acre that would change her life forever: the capture at sea of what later became known as the “Acre Group.” One of the group’s members — a young man from her city — was killed. At his funeral, Israeli forces prevented his family from seeing his body before burial to hide the signs of torture.
Theresa later said: “That was the moment I realised silence was no longer an option — that the occupation practised systematic violence that left Palestinians with no choice but resistance.”
This moment became a defining turning point in her political awareness and her path as a fighter.
She was also influenced by Palestinian fedayeen operations, which sought to draw the world’s attention to a people under siege and erased from global consciousness. From there, she decided to join the Palestine Liberation Organisation, believing that defending her people was a duty and that confronting injustice was not a crime — it was a human right.
The Sabena Operation: A Moment of Confrontation
Theresa participated in the “Sabena” operation with the goal of exchanging Jordanian and Palestinian hostages — an attempt to save the lives of people who had been detained and tortured without a fair trial.
During the assault on the plane, an occupation unit disguised as the International Red Cross — a clear violation of the laws of war — stormed the aircraft. Among them was benjamin netanyahu (born Mileikowsky to a Polish family), an invader with a record marked by corruption, genocide, and actions widely described by international human rights organisations as war crimes. When he ambushed her, Theresa confronted him directly. She shot him in the shoulder — a moment that captured the courage of a seventeen‑year‑old girl and the defiance of an entire generation that refused to be buried alive.
Palestinian resistance did not emerge from a vacuum. It was the direct result of ongoing suffering under occupation — killings, torture, deception, and a political and military system built on force and devoid of justice.
Understanding this background is essential to understanding the choices individuals made within it.
Arrest and Steadfastness
Theresa was arrested, sentenced to life imprisonment, and tortured in the occupied Palestine — yet she emerged from prison exactly as she entered it: unbowed, unwavering, and unwilling to retreat.
She was not a “romantic hero,” but a human being who paid the full price of her stance.
Her Passing
Theresa Halsa died on March 28, 2020, in Amman, after a battle with lung cancer. She left this world as she lived in it: dignified, resilient, and loyal to Palestine until her final breath. Her death was not the end of a story, but the end of a chapter in the life of a woman who carried memory and conviction even through illness.
Why Am I Writing About Her Today?
Not only because her anniversary was yesterday, but because she embodies:
The meaning of true belonging
The meaning of being a woman facing an entire system
The meaning of a body becoming a site of resistance
the meaning of loyalty to an idea until the end
And because the world constantly tries to reduce resistance to stereotypes, Theresa breaks every reduction: A woman. A Christian. An Arab. A Palestinian‑Jordanian. A fighter. A prisoner. A survivor. A witness.
And Why Am I — Taghrid — Writing About Her?
I write about Theresa Halsa because I am a Palestinian woman, and awareness for us is not a luxury — it is a duty. I write because this is my national responsibility: to preserve our narrative, to reject distortion, and to confront the ready‑made accusations thrown at any Palestinian who dares to speak.
Those who accuse me of “supporting terrorism” ignore a fundamental truth: I belong to a people living under occupation — a people who are harmed, not the ones who hold power.
I do not justify violence — I explain its roots. I do not glorify weapons — I remind the world who left Palestinians unprotected and unheard.
I write about Theresa not because her story is a story of “violence,” but because it is the story of a woman born into violence — who refused to be a silent victim. And I write because, as a Palestinian woman, I know what it means for identity to be besieged, and for your very existence to require explanation.
Conclusion
Theresa Halsa did not seek immortality — but she created it. She did not seek applause — but justice. And today, when we look at her image, we do not see a distant past — we see a living present, and a woman who was ahead of her time and paid a price entire nations have never paid.
And this is why — with complete honesty — it is difficult for anyone to impress me. I grew up among women and men of the calibre of Theresa Halsa — people who redefined courage and raised the standard of belonging far beyond what the world can imagine.
Taghrid Al-Mawed. Writing from Wales, but with my soul in Palestine.
