Palestinians never going back to status quo ante bellum: Analyst

Press TV has conducted an interview with Naseer al-Omari, writer and political commentator from New York, about Israel’s atrocities in the besieged Gaza Strip.

What follows is an approximate transcription of the interview.

Press TV: As Mr. Short [the other guest of the program] pointed out there needs to be an ocean of people demanding a ceasefire, demanding that Israel be brought to justice, demanding that institutions like the UN actually serve for the preservation of human rights and uphold international law.

We have seen these protests now take place. There is a global awakening and understanding of the situation. We have seen protests as far away as Berlin, South Korea, Japan, they have taken place in places that we have never heard of before and it is seen as an unprecedented thing. What do you make of it?

Al-Omari: Well I believe that the world for the first time has understood what the Netanyahu … [regime] and his gang really stand for in Tel Aviv. There was a time when people believed the lies that the Netanyahu … [regime] and his gang were telling the world about Israel being under attack.

When people look at the children being torn apart for no good reason other than collectively punishing the Palestinians for standing up and asking for the right to be human beings, to do whatever you and I do everyday which it is to have a family and go to work and go fish and travel.

When people saw all of this I think it changed all of us. It definitely changed me because I was at some point, I believed that the Netanyahu … [regime] could be brought about to a peace process. I no longer believe that. I really believe that this a colonial … [regime] that it tries to kick out the Palestinians to take their land systematically, to make life so difficult for them that they have no option but to disappear.

This … [regime] lost all respect in the world. For the first time in the United States I heard people criticize Israel who would never say a bad word about even the Netanyahu … [regime]. So I think it changed all of us and I do not believe that we are going to go back to normal.

Press TV: But Mr. al-Omari, what needs to be done though to translate this public anger into action on the part of political leaders within countries like the United States who were influenced so heavily by the Zionist lobby?

Al-Omari: Well you know I think a lot of people have started to see through that influence and to dissect it and to see how the media presents the world to the American people in a biased way, in a pattern of news that have nothing to do with what is happening in reality.

I have seen for the first time in the United States even some politicians fidgeting about this unconditional support for this murderous … [regime] in Tel Aviv and I believe when millions of people stand up and say that they will no longer stand for this murder, horrendous crimes by the Netanyahu … [regime] I think this will have an effect. Next time the Netanyahu … [regime] tries something the way it did this time for the second or third time or a thousand times against the Palestinian people, I think people have a better understanding of the real motives behind this genocidal … [regime] of Netanyahu and his murderous settlers who steal the Palestinian lands for a living.

This is we will never go back as I said. The Palestinian people in the West Bank will never go back to normal and expect the world to watch what Netanyahu is doing to the Palestinians.

Press TV:Mr. al-Omari, I would put this question to you, the fact that of course we are seeing the way that Israel has been dealing with the Palestinian population for six decades now, this is the third war on the Gaza Strip in the 21st century. But there are some Zionist empathizers who say why is it that we are seeing all these mass protests around the world for the Palestinian cause and yet not such a fervent reaction for other oppressed people?

What is it about the Palestinian cause though that brings about people into a unified way onto the streets and express their anger and their resentment against suppression and tyranny?

Al-Omari: You know if you look at a place like Syria or Iraq, I do not think anybody is targeting children. They are like fighting factions in Syria and they target each other, unfortunately kids die.

In the case of the Netanyahu … [regime], killing civilians and children in particular is how they respond to the rockets and this is what we have been trying to explain to the world. They have put the people of Gaza under a blockade and then when they start to fire rockets in response to the Israeli aggression all of a sudden you are killing children left and right. This is a crime against humanity. That is different from what is happening in another country when factions fight and unfortunately kids die.

And I want to go back to something that your guest in Washington said. What is being taught to these settlers and to their children in the … [entity] of Israel is the kind of ideology in the name of religion. They teach them that this land is yours and anybody who wants to even share it with you, they deserve to die.

This kind of ideology and mindset, teaching these kids to be young terrorists and to be ready to go out there and kill Palestinians when they are old enough to be in the army, that mindset has to be brought to light because we usually hear about Osama bin Laden and how he indoctrinates his followers and how he indoctrinates children to hate the West.

We have a similar situation in these settlements. Just listen to how these settlers talk about the Palestinians. If you listen to how they talk about the Palestinians, you will be left with no doubt that these people are taught hatred in the name of the Old Testament, they are taught to kill in the name of God, they are taught that anybody who comes your way should be killed and you should not share with anybody.

This is what the world needs to understand about the Netanyahu … [regime] and the cattle that you call settlers who steal Palestinian land day in and day out and then when the Palestinians object all of a sudden they do not want peace and they are exposing their children to death. This is no longer acceptable and the world can see that what the Netanyahu … [regime] tactic is.