The outgoing Palestinian prime minister was a unique Palestinian who fought hard against many odds, but in the end was unable to carry the mantle alone and without accommodations from Israel, the US or fellow Arab countries.

What is unique about Salam Fayyad is that he combined true patriotic national service without being tainted by the usual negative side of politics and the corruption that is often associated with a high-ranking position.

Fayyad served with distinction the post of prime minister of a country whose borders are outside his government’s reach with no control over the movement of people and goods within or outside the areas that were under his control. He was a Palestinian patriot without leaving any opening for Israel and its supporters to attack him. He worked tirelessly to establish the foundation of a Palestinian state while being unable to control the politics of the Israeli occupier and the whims of their leaders and US supporters.

If anyone could have imagined what the perfect prime minister should be, Salam Fayyad would have fit that description. He rarely stayed in his office, joining his people in everything from picking olives to protesting the wall. He tried his best to help Palestinians besieged in Gaza or outside his authority in Jerusalem. Anyone who accompanied Fayyad to the hundreds of activities he participated in throughout Palestine noticed a man who empathized with his people. He would stop and chat with the doorman or the secretary with the same interest as he would have for a visiting head of state.