From the Editors 9 July 2015
At events in Paris, Bordeaux, Montpellier and Lyon, we’re marking 10 years since the Palestinian call for boycott, divestment and sanctions.
This week we also mark the first anniversary of the beginning of Israel’s 51-day assault on Gaza that killed more than 2,200 people and devastated the territory. One year on there’s been almost no reconstruction, no lifting of the siege and no accountability for those who committed these crimes.
While in Paris I was interviewed by the news channel France 24 about these topics, as well as Palestinians’ right to resist and a one-state solution.
Such a broad-ranging discussion about Palestine on a mainstream news channel is rare, at least in my experience. Watch the English-language interview above.
Comments
Possibilities narrowing for Israel
Permalink Anthony Shaker replied on
I certainly hope that we are headed for a one-state solution. This, instead of a war to the finish, is the sensible solution to the historic crime committed in Palestine by the West.
However, I don't have the sense that Israel's leaders, who sound more and more like the desperate diehards of Apartheid South Africa--or Israelis in general, for that matter--are or will be inclined to anything close even to a two-state, bantustan solution. At this stage, they have only genocide on their minds: the complete destruction of the Palestinians.
IS is already inside Gaza and the Saudi-Qatari machinery is moving apace for the next bloodbath orchestrated by the Gulf "Arabs" on the people of the Levant. Saudi Arabia is sick to its stomach with Palestine. Roughly around World War I, it sold Palestine to the British and the conspiratorial terrorists then leading the Jewish colonists reportedly because it is not "Arab." "Arab" was the new ethnic Anglo-French ethnic designation that was just then entering vogue with the Western alliance with the Wahhabi Saudi raiders, covering their possessions and protectorates from Algeria to Syria.
Israel is approaching the end of the road, however, whatever the vultures--the Western Power--decide to do next. It is now up to its leaders to decide if they will accept their fate peacefully or violently. But accept they will. They have no options left, having paved their way to their own pathetic end.
"SENSIBLE SOLUTIONS"?
Permalink Peter Loeb replied on
Dear Anthony Shaker & Like-minded Others:
For those far from falling bombs and distant from hate and its Zionist-
American history as settler-colonialism, the one-state solution seems
sensible. For it IS.."sensible"! Sadly, I don't think it will happen
and is a "sensible" illusion of advocates tired of losing.
It is not on the US political agenda (eg Hillary Clinton et al).
Similar responses are not new by any means. See Aruri
cited below and other sources.)
It is not on this Administration's agenda which is committed
to Israel and to killing and destruction (See S.J. Davies on
the US Air War in "Consortiumnews).
Zionism will never accept any secular resolutions.
(see many sources).
IS is growing in Palestine because, in my view as stated
in this space previously, younger activists do not accept
long-term strategies or remedies. IS seems (to some) to be
"winning" elsewhere and they are attracted to winning and
violence. One is reminded of two militant youths in France
who signed up to fight with IS. One continued. The other
perceiving immediately the violence and long-range
inviolability of IS promptly returned to France. (The militant
deciding to return should b e advised to return to France or
another more tolerant nation (than the US).
Whn Ali is in France, I urge him to remember the
revolution (14 juillet 1789) and its history, its lessons,
and immediately its extremely violent results.
[To Anthony Shaker: In haste I misspelt an author's
name for a book I recommended: CORRECT SPELLING
is: "Naseer H. Aruri". Available at libraries and
bookstores.]
---Peter Loeb, Boston, MA, USA
Excellent interview, by the
Permalink Anthony Shaker replied on
Excellent interview, by the way!
extraordinary interview
Permalink arifa replied on
Ali, yours is a truly brilliant and eloquent voice of conscience and justice. You adeptly cut through layers and layers of hypocrisy and duplicity with a simple, clear and beautiful message of inclusivity and peace. In the noble tradition of Gandhi and Mandela, you—without any hint of hatred or bitterness—keep your focus solely on showing the necessary steps forward out of an untenable and intransigent situation that has been created by selfishness, greed and power-lust. Your message will surely resonate in the hearts of all people of good-will who seek a world in which we all live together in kindness, harmony and freedom. You are demonstrating how great social justice movements take root and gain momentum. Thank you for speaking for me and, I'm sure, for many hundreds of thousands of others.
please post more of these appearances
Permalink tom hall replied on
An exemplary performance, Ali. In patiently and concisely replying to the interviewer's boilerplate questions (which came down to "What about Hamas?") you put the case for a real solution eloquently. Israel has swallowed all of historic Palestine, and there isn't an emetic in the world strong enough to cause a regurgitation. The issue for today and tomorrow is, how can Palestinians obtain their freedom in the inevitable one-state outcome? Without formal, guaranteed and legally enforced equality, no solution is possible. And you were right to define the "rockets" issue as one of legitimate resistance. Just once I would like to hear a speaker defending Palestinian rights retort to that line of questioning- "If you maintain that the use of these small rockets is illegitimate, perhaps you would care to tell us precisely what weapons and means of resistance you regard as permissible to the Palestinians."
Again, well done, and good luck on your tour.
BRAVO!!!
Permalink Ed Felien replied on
BRAVO!!!
Interviewer
Permalink D. replied on
It was so difficult for the interviewer to say 'Palestine'...
[sigh...]
Florilla
Permalink Ina Ayliffe replied on
We hear nothing of the mercy flotilla that is carrying food and other necessaties as well as building materials to Gaza. What has happened to the flotilla.? What steps are being taken to protect it from harm ?
a one, two or three state solution?
Permalink Ed Felien replied on
A one state solution would be best. A two state solution would be good, if Palestine didn't get the short end of the stick. But even a three state solution: with the West Bank and Gaza as separate countries would be better than what we have, and if the PA is not really serious about pursuing war crimes trials against the IDF, and if the PA does not ask for nation status at the UN this fall, then it might be best if Gaza did it on their own. http://www.mintpressnews.com/t...
"But you're a minority", says
Permalink karen replied on
"But you're a minority", says the wealthy white european hetero male, sniffing downward at the masses teaming below him... the masses overflowing the boats crowding his shores trying to escape his bombs...
wow, that image is going to stick with me for a while. white people.
even if it is left entirely up to Israel/Palestine to decide whether Palestinians have equal rights, I'm going to guess that the MAJORITY (roughly half are Palestinian, no?) is on the right side of human rights. the white 0.1% interviewer doesn't even recognize the existence of living breathing human beings! wow.
anyway, as usual, what a great video by Abunimah!