Interview with Marwan E. Toubassi ambassador of the State of Palestine in Greece, published in EFIMERIDA TON SYNDAKTON, 9/1/2021
Q1. Israel will hold elections again in March and in the meantime the Biden presidency will have begun in the USA. What are the expectations of the Palestinian Authority? Is there a common line of Palestinian factions?
Answer :The defeated ultra right Trump and his administration who tried to threaten the world stability and American democracy with his impeachment waving ahead, was unusually aligned with the racist Zionist Netanyahu government on various issues and have had a very close and harmonious relationship over the past four years. While I think President-elect, Biden is a strong supporter of Israel and will want to maintain the close relationship, it is very likely that there are going to be some differences of opinion on a few major policy issues. Addressing the Palestinian- Israeli conflict will remain in my opinion a U.S. interest for the imminent administration. The Biden administration must reverse a number of illegal actions taken by Trump that have deterred our relations with the U.S. President Biden should reverse the anachronistic US Anti- Terrorism Act of 1987 under which, the P.L.O. and the Palestinian Authority are still considered “terrorist organizations”.
I expect that this in turn will facilitate the resumption of talks with the new US administration and may lead to the reopening of P.L.O. Mission offices in Washington, the allocation of US aid to the UNRWA and the P.A. which was also mentioned last week by the secretary of the foreign policy committee in the newly elected Congress.
President Biden should take steps to deter Israeli annexation, building and expanding of settlements by expressing his firm opposition to both and by returning to the long-held position of previous US administrations, in particular in regard to resolution 2334 and to change the way it engages with the rest of the world on the Palestinian- Israeli conflict.
Finally, the new administration of Biden should renew its commitment to the Two-State Solution (borders of 1967) based on key parameters of the UN resolutions.
The purpose would be simply to make clear to all parties that the biased and unfeasible “Trump plan” is no longer part of the US vision for peace and final agreement.
In the near future the prospects for a resolution to the conflict through starting up negotiations is bleak, Israel is going into a 4th election in two years in the coming march in a divided and crisis political, social, economic disagreements and failures.
The Palestinian political national consensus represented by the P.L.O. still relies on the two-state solution on the pre – 1967 borders and establishing an independent democratic state with East Jerusalem its capital as well as the implementation of all relevant UN resolutions. This political platform has also been approved recently by Hamas through the National Dialogue that took place.
Hamas this week sent a letter to President Abbas declaring the acceptance of holding a near legislative and presidential election (which should include, East Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank) based on full proportional representation, a presidential decree will be issued in the following weeks.
Q2. One after another, Arab states are normalizing relations with Israel. Are you afraid of marginalizing the Palestinian issue, in the midst of the inaction of international diplomacy?
Answer : Although some Arab States have recently normalized relations with Israel, the Arab Gulf Cooperation council states (GCC) which comprises those who have normalized recently, where during their meeting last Tuesday reiterated their full support to the Palestinian cause and condemned Israeli practices regarding Jerusalem, annexation, and settlements. The GCC called for the necessity to implement all UN resolutions, and the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian State, with East Jerusalem its capital.
It is well known that these normalization agreements took place under the direct influence and pressure of the recently defeated Trump administration. The Arab Peace Initiative which was adopted in 2020 and still reflects the Arab countries consensus through the recent Arab League resolutions, that called for normalization with Israel only in exchange of a just and comprehensive peace. Namely, the withdrawal of Israel from all Arab lands occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem and the Syrian Golan heights and establishing the State of Palestine with East Jerusalem its capital and resolving the issue of refugees according to UN resolution 194 and releasing all Palestinian political prisoners from the occupation jails.
The issue of gas and oil in addition to the common security delusion created by the defeated Trump and corrupt Netanyahu was an important factor to these agreements, that were intended to serve the US and Israeli interests in the area confronting the Russian and Chinese role.
In reality, however, across the Arab world, sympathy, solidarity, and support with the Palestinian people will remain.
Q3. How do you see Turkey’s regional role and President Erdogan’s desire to appear as a “protector” of the Palestinians?
Answer: We do welcome any support to our inalienable national rights by any country in the world. All countries including Greece and Turkey expressing clear stances and positions condemning Israeli daily violations and crimes against our oppressed and occupied people, also in the UN organizations by voting in support for our rights and for the principles of the UN Charter are always appreciated and welcome.
The Palestinian people are in need of International Protection by the UN. We, by our longstanding struggle led by the P.L.O. and supported by the democratic and humanitarian forces around the world against the historical injustice that was imposed 72 years ago, and through our clear commitment to the just peace in defending the two-state solution as an international consensus remain resilient. Our longwaves of more than 100,000 martyrs and 6,000 prisoners who are still detained in the colonial jails were and remain the protectors of my people, alongside our responsible vision of peace that was submitted by my President Mahmoud Abbas to the International Community. We, as an oppressed people suffering from the brutality of occupation as the Greek people suffered during the times their country was occupied, stand with the necessity of implementing International Law and resolving all conflicts through peaceful negotiations on basis of UN resolutions.
The State of Palestine respects its relations with any country, we believe that determined and principled steps within the International system, especially after being recognized as a non-state member at the UN in 2012, are significant means of protection for the Palestinian people in this world. We remain committed to the vital necessity of the International Law to be universally applicable, in the Middle East, the East Mediterranean and everywhere else in the world. The State of Palestine will always safeguard and upgrade its bilateral friendship relations with all countries on basis of mutual respect, understanding and cooperation.
Q4. The pandemic is also testing the Palestinian people hard, recently depriving them of top negotiator Saeb Erekat. How is the health crisis evolving in the Palestinian territories?
Answer :The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the vital necessity for international cooperation in order to combat it. Globally, it has had a direct and devastating effect. The Palestinian’s not only face problems accessing healthcare, but also on the quality of the care itself. Israel, the recognized occupying power under International Law is responsible for ensuring that Palestinians have the full extent of medical care.
Israel transports batches of the Pfizer vaccine deep inside our occupied land to their colonial settlers living in the illegal colonial settlements. But we in the occupied territories of the State of Palestine can only watch and wait.
Q5. What is your message and expectations from Greece for the new year?
Answer: I would like to convey on behalf of my people and Government greetings and best wishes to the friendly Greek people on the occasion of Christmas and the New Year 2021. We remain positive and hopeful that this year will bring safety, health and prosperity to all and that the world community will succeed in combating the Covid- 19 pandemic, racism and terrorism. I would also like to thank the Greek friends for their continued solidarity and support to the inalienable rights of my people for freedom, a just peace and self- determination. Our relations with the Greek people are deeply rooted since they are based on our common values and principles of freedom, peace, dignity, and democracy, and which keep us confident that the Greek people will not abandon our Palestinian people suffering from the oppression and colonial occupation by Israel. I would like to draw attention to the necessity of cooperation with us in order to protect the properties of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
We trust that the Greek Government will observe the historical stances of Greece regarding Palestine towards ending the occupation, and that the Greek Government’s relations with Israel “the occupying power” will not be to the detriment of our national inalienable rights.
Furthermore, we expect the government of Greece to support solely and within the EU, the peace vision submitted by President Abbas to the UN Security Council and the Quartet regarding the international peace conference on the Middle East. Greece due to its geopolitical location can also have an important role in pushing this vision for peace forward and to proceed in the official recognition of the State of Palestine according the unanimous resolution of the Greek Parliament, and thus joining the 139 countries of the world who have already done so.
Further, I trust that the Greek government and the Greek orthodox Church will contribute to the issue of defending the properties of the Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem from looting by Jewish settler organizations. I seize this opportunity to renew my call to our friends in Greece to strengthen and expand their support and influence in order to achieve our national aspirations as all other people in the world, to enable us together to defend the International peace and democracy.
Source: Efsyn
