Palestine Leader Mustafa Barghouti’s Viral Interview With CNN’s Fareed Zakaria Lists Out The Reasons For The Recent Attack On Israel
Dr Mustafa Barghouti, a former information minister for the Palestine government and leader of Palestinian National Initiative, recently spoke to CNN’s Fareed Zakaria. The video of the interview has now gone viral for his hard-hitting answers.
Dr Barghouti argued that the current flare up in the West Asia is a “direct result of the continuation of the longest occupation in modern history.” When asked about “what Hamas is doing is that they are targeting Israeli civilians, women, children, grandmothers”, Dr Barghouti categorically denied the accusation by replying that, “No, they are not” and added that “Hamas mainly attacked military establishments, military installations, and most of the people there, they have arrested and taken as war prisoners are military people.”
.@MustafaBarghou1
on @CNN just asked the key question behind US’ moral relativism: Why is the US supporting Ukraine fighting against Russia’s occupation…yet supports Israel’s occupation/ethnic subjugation of Palestinians for the last 57 years?pic.twitter.com/1y2STarhbQ— Rula Jebreal (@rulajebreal) October 8, 2023
Important quotes from Dr Mustafa Barghouti’s conversation with Fareed Zakaria:
“Israeli occupation of Palestinian land since 1967, this is 56 years of occupation, that has transformed into a system of apartheid. A much worse apartheid that what prevailed in South Africa.”
“And what you see today is a reaction to several things. First of all, settlers” terrorist attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank that has evicted already 20 communities in an act of ethnic cleansing. 248 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli army and settlers in the West Bank including 40 children. Attacks on the holy sites, the Muslim and Christian holy sites, by Israeli extremists, as well as declaration of Netanyahu that he will liquidate the Palestinian rights and the Palestinian cause by normalization with Arab countries.”
“He (Netanyahu) dared even to go to the United Nations and carried in the United Nations a map of Israel which included the whole of the West Bank, all of Gaza, all of Jerusalem, as well as the Golan Heights. He declared the annexation of the occupied territories. So, of course Palestinians turned to resistance because they see that this is the only way for them to get their rights.”
“The question here is not about dehumanizing Palestinians as is happening and calling them terrorists, it”s about asking the question. Why the United States supports Ukraine in fighting what they call occupation, while here they are supporting the occupier who continues to occupy us?”
“Look at what Israeli planes are doing now in Gaza. They are bombarding houses. They are bringing down to earth and you”ve shown that on your screen, whole apartments, whole buildings, high-rise buildings are brought down to the ground.”
“Israel has already conducted five wars on Gaza. One of them lasted 51 days. They destroyed everything. This did not stop Hamas, did not stop resistance. There is one way to stop any violence, and that is to end the Israeli occupation. And that is for the United States to be fair. They cannot say that Israel has the right to defend itself but we the Palestinians don”t have the right to defend ourselves.”
“You have to end this illegal occupation and accept Palestinians as equal human beings.”
“Today the whole West Bank is paralyzed by 560 military Israeli checkpoints. And these checkpoints were there during the last 30 years. We are suffering from a wall that is built on our land. The whole West Bank has been divided in 224 small ghettos, separated from each other. And the settlers are everywhere attacking Palestinians. You speak about right-wing government in Israel, already Israel is a right-wing government. Israel is already having fascists in its government.”
“Can we stop what”s going on now? Yes, of course. All these Israelis who are now in Gaza can be released tomorrow, including everybody if there are civilians, also the civilians, even the generals of the Israeli army can be released if Israel also accepted to release our 5,300 Palestinian prisoners who are in Israeli jails. Including 1,260 Palestinians who are in jail without knowing why under the so-called administrative detention.”
“We have lived all our lives under occupation. My father lived under occupation. My daughter is living under occupation. We want a time when we, the Palestinians, will be free. Hamas was not there 30 years ago or 40 years ago. But before that, we are all described as terrorists. Any Palestinian who struggles for his rights or for freedom is described as terrorist.”
“If you support Palestinian and you are a foreigner, they describe you as anti-Semite. And if you are a Jewish person, and there are many of those, who support Palestinian cause, they call him self-hating Jew.”
“We should all have equal life. We should all have peace. We should all have justice and we should all live in dignity.”
“The main way to achieve that is to end occupation, end the system”s apartheid that I am sure no Jewish person can be proud of. Time has come for that and time has come for justice and freedom. If we achieve that, there will be no violence and nobody will be hurt.”
