Israeli aggression, one might say, started on 7th of October but the fact is that it started 75 years ago in 1948 when the British occupied Palestine in 1917 and helped Zionist people to immigrate to Palestine. From that time the Palestinian people are fighting and trying to defend their homeland. In 1948 the Zionists managed to occupy 78 percent historical Palestine and in 1967 they occupied the other part which is the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip,” said Palestinian Ambassador to India Adnan Abu Al Haija during a discussion on Gaza Genocide: UN Inaction and Complicity of Western Powers organised by the Welfare Party of India at the Press Club of India in New Delhi on Nov. 15.
Palestinian Ambassador further added, “We have done everything to get peace to the Palestinian people and to establish the State of Palestine, after discussion with the United States and the Soviet Union at that time, to establish the State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital. In 1993 we signed an agreement called Oslo Accord with the Israelis observed by the United States, and according to that accord the state of Palestine should be established in 1999. The Prime Minister (of Israel) who had signed the agreement with us at that time, Yitzhak Rabin was looking to get peace with the Palestinian people because he knew the future that Israel won’t exist forever if there is no peace; and this is what we tell the Israelis now; if they don’t go to peace, the existence of Israel will be in danger.’
“From 7th of October till now in the West Bank they have killed more than 200 people. In Gaza they have killed 14,000, officially 11,300 and more than 3000 under the rubbles of the buildings.We don’t have equipment to take out the dead bodies from the rubbles. For the last 17 years 2.3 million people in Gaza have been seized, they cannot move, poverty in Gaza Strip is more than 70 percent. So, imagine that 2.2 million people in Gaza Strip were living in open jails and these 2.2 million people lived in 365 square kilometres. So, what has happened on the 7th October is reaction of what Israelis have been doing all these years,” said Adnan Abu AlHaija.
On those supporting Israel, the Palestinian Ambassador said, “For years and years, we have seen the killing of Palestinian people in Gaza supported by the United States and Britain, France, Germany, Italy and others. All their leaders have visited Israel to support because they felt that Israel has become weak. Israel has been established there as a military base for these countries. They have sent twoaircraft carriers, and the Nuclear Submarine, and about 117 aircraft and thousands of tons of weapons from the United States.”
On the resolve of the Palestinian people, he said, “We are fighting since 1917 and will continue till we are able to liberate our homeland and get our independent state and the land of Palestine. Their plan is to evacuate our people from Gaza to Egypt and from the West Bank to Jordan. Our decision is to live and die in our homeland and we are not leaving our homeland. The international community is responsible to find a peaceful solution according to the international law as per the United Nations resolutions. Otherwise, this won’t be the last war and we again say they will be responsible if they try to forget the Palestinian cause after the ceasefire of this war.”
Dr. S.Q.R Ilyas, President of Welfare Party of India, while presiding over the program, said,“You all will be surprised to know that I am feeling happy because I can see Israel has lost the war. Intellectuals and leaders of Israel are saying that we have lost the war on social media by the narratives it has set of the Palestinians.But it has resulted in protests and support in favour of Palestine all around the world even by the peoples whose governments are supporting Israel. I was in America and I have seen protests all across by all sections of people there but surprisingly India has not allowed and even thwarted the protest at Jantar Mantar and elsewhere.”
He added, “I can see history in the making again in Palestine like that of Vietnam and other places where people have fought the mighty with bare hands. Palestine will become free either in our generation or in the next generation.”
Another speaker, Malik Moatasim Khan, Vice President of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, said that it is important to understand that the ongoing conflict is between the oppressor and the victims. As long as the oppressor will continue to commit crimes, the peace-loving people of the world will continue to raise their voice against war crimes of the oppressor. I salute the people around the world who are supporting the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people. In entire Europe, America and other parts of the world they are protesting against Israel and that is a good sign.
Prof Apoorvanand of Delhi University said, “Governments the world over used to say that Israel has the best of Intelligence system and they can trace out easily and identify any individual and place of a person and cando precision-targeting, therefore Israel cannot say precisely that they were not there. So, it is hard to believe that Israel was not aware of what was happening on 7th October or what was going to happen that day.”
John Dayal, a noted social and human rights activist, said it is quite strange and surprising to note that the Delhi police has asked not to make dua for the Palestinian people and while defying it today, I am making dua that Palestine will be free one day. He said not only Muslims, but Christians too are in trouble there and the images we are getting to see of the small children from Gaza are very disturbing and the entire international community should be ashamed of it and try to force Israel for ceasefire there.”