Resistance only solution to Israel occupation: Activist

Press TV has conducted an interview with Raja Abdulhaq, Palestinian activist and community organizer from New York, to get his insight on rising tensions between Israeli regime forces and Palestinians.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: It looks like the Muslim world were trying to get over the shock of the tragic stampede in Saudi Arabia that killed hundreds of people, Israel was busy stepping up its attacks on Palestinians.

Abdulhaq: Yeah, this is very clear....since the inception of the Arab Spring, I think Israel has taken advantage of the chaos that is taking place in the Middle East to go ahead and continue its process of ethnic cleansing of Palestine to make sure that there are no Palestinians left, whether they are dead or expelled from the Palestinian land [so they could] start their imaginary state of Israel on the whole land of historic Palestine.

I think what’s going on in Palestine right now is just a continuation of that process of ethnic cleansing. And I think today what’s going on in Jerusalem (al-Quds) and what’s going on in the West Bank is really, as I said, a continuation of the Israeli instigation and aggression against Palestinians in their holy places in their lands. We’ve seen for the past couple of months...the killing of innocent people, for instance the lady in Hebron (al-Khalil) Hadil al-Hashlamoun who was shot more than 15 times, being killed in cold blood by Israeli soldiers.

We’ve seen the story of Ali Dawabsheh, that little boy who was burnt alive with his family -- his father and his mother. [They] were burnt alive by extremist...settlers. I think what’s taking place right now again, as you put it, Israel is taking advantage of the conditions of the Middle East, and specifically the Arab world, to continue its process of ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.

Press TV: Do you think enough media attention has been given to the plight of Palestinians?

Abdulhaq: I mean absolutely there’s a little bit of dark coverage against Palestinians. I think the media, especially the mainstream media in the West, is complicit in the Israeli occupation and the Israeli aggression against Palestinians, but at the same time, I would like to say that whether we have media or not, I think the international community is officially dead.

For the past 67 years, Palestinians have been calling for help, have been asking the world to interfere and to really try to solve the Palestinian [issue and] the Israeli occupation. The international community has responded with nothing but blindly support…Israel against the Palestinians. So I think it’s clear that whether we have media or not the international community can’t care less the innocent humans who are being killed in the Middle East not only in Palestine, because we know that the West, in general, explicitly the colonial powers, are not really caring about humans…

Press TV: Tell us about these different resistance movements within Palestine. According to what you’re saying the international community is actually dead to what is happening in the Gaza Strip. What do activists like you and these movements within Palestine want?

Abdulhaq: Absolutely this is what I was alluding too. I think the fact that the international community is dead or the fact that the international community can’t care less about anything that is not part of their colonial agenda, I think it’s very clear that there is no solution except resistance. I think it has proven in Gaza, the popular resistance - the resistance of these movements - is really the only solution to end the occupation.

And I think as activists, specifically in the West, the main thing that we can do aside from exposing Israeli aggression and Israeli terrorism, is really to improve and to actually claim our narrative. We need to make it clear that we are resisting because the rest of the world is not interfering and the rest of the world is not doing anything towards Israeli aggression.

So, the only solution that we have left right now after 67 years of colonization and occupation and ethnic cleansing, there is no solution right now to us except taking upon ourselves to resist and try to end the occupation by force. Since it restarted by force and I don’t think it will be ended any time soon except by resistance.

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