US complicit in Israeli crimes in Mideast

Press TV has interviewed Jamal Juma, head of the "Stop the Wall" Campaigns in Ramallah, about the US military chief pledging more cooperation with Israel amid Tel Aviv’s brutal crackdown on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Talk to us about the issue of the extension of military aid to the Israeli regime on behalf of the United Sates and more about this recent visit by the US military chief to the Tel Aviv regime?

Juma: This is totally upsetting and it is totally unfortunate that Americans usually do that after and within every Israeli crime against the Palestinian people. During the latest attack on Gaza they opened for the first time their military stores in Israel and they were using the American weapons to bomb Gaza and to commit massacres against them. And here we are in front of a Palestinian uprising and they are doing the same and they are stressing that they are the friends of Israel, they are supporters of Israel and they care about the security of Israel.

The Americans keep blind. They do not want to see the source of the problems in the Middle East and in Palestine. It is the occupation, it is the colonialism. The Americans by this, they have proved once more that they are part of the crime. They are responsible as Israel in the crimes that are happening against the Palestinian people and in the Middle East as well committed by Israel.   

This must end. This must stop. It will not stop if there is no an Arab and Islamic front that will stand up strongly against this and they will try to use all their pressure in order to stop this support for the Israelis from the Americans. That has encouraged them to continue the crimes against the Palestinians. So now Israel is much more happy about every crime that they are doing because they will get much more and more support from the United States particularly.

Press TV: It is interesting how you mentioned that as this meeting takes place as the Israeli regime’s brutal crackdown against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, in the besieged Gaza Strip has heightened over the past few weeks. This shows the US’s complacency with regards to the right violations against the Palestinians.

Juma: Yes it is complicit. And I think when we are talking about crimes that Israel committed we have to link the United States to that. It is not just Israel. Israel without the support of the Americans, they will not be able to do these crimes and every time they do crimes like this, they just escape from punishment because they have put for them a cover and a protection from any implementation of international law.

And I think the Americans pressure on the Palestinian Authority is behind until now that these files of the crimes from Gaza as well as in the West Bank is not until now activated in the ICC which is this is we have to consider. Now Israel is getting much more serious step ahead with their crimes in the West Bank. Now they are assassinating kids in the streets. Now they are besieging the Palestinian population all over in the West Bank as well as Gaza Strip and it has moved towards the Palestinians in 48. Israel advanced its occupation to colonial apartheid system that should be isolated by the international community not supported and its crimes are supported. This case is a unique case where a big country like this is supporting openly the crimes committed by a criminal regime like Israel against civilians, against people who are under occupation since decades now.

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