“We will not accept a single measure of annexation of our Palestinian home land”

INTERVIEW WITH THE AMBASSADOR OF THE STATE OF PALESTINE, MAROUAN TOUBASSI

“We will defend our universal rights through the peaceful popular resistance of our people and the diplomatic path in international forums.”

Interview by :Ioanna Drossou

In H ΕΠΟΧΥΗ, 5 July 2020

Q :The US-Israel agreement ceases negotiations for decades and violates every notion of international law, even provoking the reaction of international organizations. What do you think will happen next if the anexation is attempted?
A:In our view, the main issue is not the annexation of any part of the occupied Palestinian territory. In fact, Israel has pursued a policy of annexation through de facto proceedings since the beginning of the occupation crime in 1967. The main issue is the colonial occupation, the ongoing and escalating crime which violates any notion of international law, UN resolutions and the Geneva Convention. In 1980, Israel annexed occupied East Jerusalem through a resolution passed by the Israeli parliament (Knesset), as was the case with the Golan Heights of Syria, which were occupied in 1967 too . In response to your question, I would like to point out that further annexation will mark the end of any possibility of implementing the two-state solution and will bring chaos to the wider region. The main issue is the increasing historical injustice that we have been suffering for 72 years. We are clear that we will not accept a single measure of annexation of Palestinian land! We will defend our national, political and human rights through the peaceful popular resistance of our people, through diplomatic channels in international forums, always committed to the International and Humanitarian Law, the relevant UN resolutions and the Law of the Sea – which has not been co-signer by Israel. July 1, was the date announced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the annexation with the strong support of President Trump and extremist Zionists and evangelicals in the United States – marks the start of a further annexation of the occupied Palestinian territories. The international reactions, the reactions of the EU and the reaction of the peoples around the world, the decisions of the Arab League, the dichotomy in the US even within the White House, the opposing voices within Israel and even in the newly formed coalition government Netanyahu-Gantz forced Israel to postpone its planned operation. Today all the people of Palestine united like a fist and ready to defend their homeland, their dignity, their freedom and the right to self-determination by any legal and political struggle means. I am convinced that the time has come to form an international front based on international law and UN resolutions that will take action to confront Israeli plans to further annex any parts of the occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank and to end the occupation.

Q: Twenty-seven years later, did the Oslo Accords (1993 and 1995) turn out to be wrong, which, among other things, would lead to the creation of an independent Palestinian state? Do you think that president Abbas strategy has reached a dead end?
A: I believe that judging an agreement in overdue time leads us to wrong conclusions. However, judging the Oslo Accords at the time they were signed and taking into account the political situation, conditions and events such as the US invasion of Iraq, the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the dissolution of the Socialist Bloc, events that brought about dramatic change around the world and created a new world order . The invasion of Kuwait by Iraq led to a split in the consensus of the Arab states as well, the NH US pressure on the PLO (Organization for the Liberation of Palestine) to disband the organization after its forced deportation from Beirut (1982). Part of the US policy was to create an alternative political body in Palestine – a plan that failed as the unity and faith of the Palestinian people in the PLO remained unwavering.
A small but growing peacekeeping camp had been set up in Israel thanks to the first Palestinian insurgency (Intifada), calling for a solution to the conflict. This was an opportunity for us to negotiate directly in Oslo (to note here that even the Americans did not know). It was not an easy process to try to resolve a dispute CONFLICT that began 72 years ago and to be confronted with the main context and essence of the Zionist vision throughout the land of Palestine.
The PLO leadership, taking into account all the data, thought that perhaps it could be the beginning of a process that would result in peaceful negotiations to end the conflict and resolve key issues, provided that the occupation ends and the establishment of a Palestinian state on occupied lands since 1967 . We accepted through this peace process the principle of a two-state solution (as a global consensus solution) in only 22% of
of a two-state solution (as a global consensus solution) in only 22% of the historic land of Palestine, while giving a five-year transitional period to resolve then the final issues concerning the borders, Jerusalem, refugees and water issues. President Abbas’s strategy today reflects consensus within the PLO under the leadership of the late Yasser Arafat at the time, that is, engaging in negotiations on the basis of international law and UN resolutions in order to reach a final just solution. The Israeli side with its deep state rogue regime , after the assassination of Isaac Rabin by them , who had signed the Oslo Accords – decided to stop everything that had been agreed and turn its political image into an extreme violator of international and humanitarian law by increasing the number of illegal settlements, imposing colonial policies and invading once again the occupied Palestinian territories in 2001 and the complete exclusion of President Arafat at his headquarters in Ramallah culminating in his assassination three years later. President Mahmoud Abbas has sought to resume talks, with a strategy of the Palestinian people’s peaceful resistance, peace talks negotiations and international diplomacy will persuade the Israeli side to find a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the two states on 67 borders for two peoples. Today, Israel is represented by a greedy far-right Zionist prime minister, an enemy of democracy and peace whoes dreams are of realizing the distorted Biblical ideology of the international Zionist lobby and extremist religious evangelicals in the United States. So I would like to conclude by saying that anyone looking for those responsible for failing to find a peaceful and viable solution to the conflict should look to them on the Israeli side. I don’t know now if Peace talks, if is any chance still to resume and International Diplomacy will succeed in persuading the Israeli side to find a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in order to ensure peace for both peoples. Today, Israel is represented by an extrimest far-right Zionist prime minister, an enemy of democracy and peace who dreams of realizing the distorted Biblical ideology of the international Zionist lobby and extremist religious evangelicals in the United States. So I would like to conclude by saying that anyone looking for those responsible for failing to find a peaceful and viable solution to the conflict should look to them on the Israeli side. Today, Israel is represented by an extrimest far-right Zionist prime minister, an enemy of democracy and peace who dreams of realizing the distorted Biblical ideology of the international Zionist lobby and extremist religious evangelicals in the United States interests as well . So I would like to conclude by saying that anyone looking for those responsible for failing to find a peaceful and viable solution to the conflict should look to that on the Israeli side responsibility who intended to fail in commitment to all previous agreements signed.

Q :How do you see the strategic alliance of Greece, Israel? What role has it played?
A:I would like to dwell on some important pillars that should govern the relations between states of the world , of course I am referring here to the UN Resolutions, International Law, the Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), when applicable, other UN treaties and mutual respect for the sovereignty of each state, where Israel, acting as a criminal rogue state above the law violates all the above . Israel, in good cooperation with the current US racist administration, is interfering in the internal affairs of countries, sometimes blackmailing and sometimes openly exposing the right of each country to decide its own destiny. We see this clearly in the wider Eastern Mediterranean region but also elsewhere as in Latin American countries. So the issue is not how we Palestinians view the Greece-Israel strategic partnership, although I think the words of my Prime Minister Shtayaee have clearly answered that question. The question is how do the Greek people see and feel about this cooperation with a criminal state? I am convinced that our Greek friends, proponents of Democracy and Freedom, who have fought valiantly in the past by making great sacrifices during their national liberation struggle against Nazi occupation and the military dictatorship, do not f
feel bound to freedom and democracy as a common values ​​and principles with Israel, the occupying power, and Greeks will stand as always on the right side of history, supporting the universal right of all peoples to self-determination and pushing for sanctions against a state that exercises the barbarity of occupation and displacement of my people, and they ask for their Greek government to recognize our state in accordance with the unanimous decision of parliament (December 2015)and on basis of the solution of the two states on 67 borders , befo
solution of the two states on 67 borders , before the remaining opportunities for peace dry up and we end up in chaos.
For our part, I would like to reiterate our firm position to work closely with all Greek governments and to promote, develop and upgrade the historical relations between Palestine and Greece and our peoples at the strategic level.