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World must pressure Israel for crimes in Palestine: Journalist

Tuesday, 26 January 2016 9:09 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 26 January 2016 9:09 AM ]

A general view shows construction in the Israeli settlement of Pisgat Zeev (foreground), in East al-Quds (Jerusalem) on January 15, 2016. AFP

Press TV has conducted an interview with Richard Silverstein, a journalist and political commentator from Seattle, to discuss the international silence on the Israeli regime’s ongoing massacre of Palestinians.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: The death toll here is mounting and it’s interesting to see that there is no investigation, no transparency, into why these Palestinians are being killed in cold blood. What do you make of that?

Silverstein: I think that this is just an ongoing, I call it, new Intifada. It’s a sign of the desperation of the Palestinians. There is no peace process. The Israeli side wants to continue the status quo indefinitely.

The world is not willing to intervene to impose a settlement on the parties. So, I think it’s only to be expected and it will continue indefinitely. And it’s a sign of lack of hope and despair on the Palestinians’ part.

Press TV: What kind of a form is going to take place in the near future as Palestinians continue to be killed? We also were seeing at the same time mass arrests take place in the occupied territories, homes are being razed and massive expansion of the illegal settlements.

Silverstein: I think that what might have been is that Israel may decide to annex the West Bank, which would be a very interesting development…in the short term…I think the Israeli right-wingers would be very happy with this outcome. I think the Palestinians would oppose it vehemently.

But it would clarify for the world what Israel’s intentions are that it would make clear to the world there is no Israeli wish for settlement or compromise and that Israel wants to just absorb this territory and then expel the Palestinians to the extent that they can.

And this, I think, would crystallize for the world what it needs to do and put pressure on the world to impose a settlement or to force some kind of arrangement like was done in Kosovo or in other places.

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