We believe that the beginning of a solution to Middle East unrest lies in Palestine. The West must make a sincere effort to bring peace and closure to the Palestinian question by providing a homeland to Palestinians, putting a stop to Israeli aggression against them, and forcing Israel back to its pre-1967 borders. It goes without saying that the US must withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan prior to the solution in Palestine. The Rag
Civil war or coup d’etat in Palestine?
By Rebelión. Interview of Agustín Velloso, Gijón, Spain; Translated for Axis of Logic by Rebelión and revised by James Hollander, Tlaxcala*
Feb 7, 2007, 11:50
Originally published in Spanish on Rebelión
“Interview with Professor Agustín Velloso in the 11th Week of the Popular School José Luis García Rúa: The outcomes of fundamentalism,” – Gijón, Spain, from 2 to 10 February 2007
Civil war or coup d’état in Palestine?
Agustín Velloso interviewed by Rebelión; Translated by the author and revised by James Hollander
Is there a civil war going on in Palestine?
No, but this question and an affirmative answer is what pro-Israeli media are spreading all over the world. Hence, the average news consumer knows nothing of the reality of this “civil war.”
But aren’t we seeing the Palestinians are killing each other in the streets of Gaza?
What we are seeing is that since Hamas won the last legislative elections of January 2006, which were monitored by thousands of foreign observers, Jimmy Carter amongst them, the Western powers have made all kinds of political and economic manoeuvres to oust the winner with the help of the losers, Abu Mazen and his Fatah party.
However, the situation different than in Iraq. There are no Western armies in Gaza, so isn’t it just an internal Palestinian affair?
It is not an internal affair. Palestine is just another piece on the big Middle East chessboard, where the international community is moving pieces to further its own interests, namely: the control of oil and the support of its ally, Israel. The Western powers support Fatah because they say it represents the “moderate” Palestinians and are torpedoing the Hamas government because its programme runs counter to the agenda of Zionism and imperialism. Once Hamas obtained a majority of the seats in Parliament, the leaders of the powerful – Bush, Rice, Blair, Olmert, Solana and others – switched to plan B: oust Hamas from the government no matter what the price. This price would be paid by ordinary Palestinians, in any case.
What role is the international community playing in the fighting?
This fighting is the last move in the chess game. Previously, the West –the supposed democratic guardians of international law- invaded countries, flattened entire cities, bombed families at weddings and on the beach, and forced Arab and Muslim prisoners onto secret flights around the globe to torture them at will and put them in cages like animals.
What moves are you talking about?
They have totally isolated the legitimate Palestinian government, while Israel has declared its members a “legitimate” target for its death squads, kidnapping several of them as well as many members of the Parliament.
In addition to this political coup d’état, which makes almost it almost impossible for the government to operate, they have used their favourite weapon, the one they have used in Iraq for so many years, leaving half a million dead Iraqi children in its wake: an economic blockade. Israel is stealing the Palestinian people’s money, which it collects through taxes and which is supposed to be handed over to the Palestinian government. Banks have been prevented, under heavy pressure, from handling money transfers from supporters of the Palestinian people. Finally, when members of the government have tried to transport themselves much-needed cash into the Occupied Territories, they have been prevented from doing so. All this in order to achieve the goals of the rogue state Israel, which involve, in the words of one high official, is not to starve the Palestinians, but to put them on a diet. This peculiar sense of humour in politics is reminiscent of Himmler, Mengele and other learned Westerners.
Read the rest here.
