“This is the umpteenth truce following the umpteenth attack on the Palestinian people. The scenario repeats itself every time there are Israeli elections in sight”underlined this Monday August 8 on franceinfo Hala Abou-Hassira, ambassador and head of the Palestine mission in France, after the ceasefire concluded between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Jihad. “When we do not invoke the primary responsibility of the State of Israel in this attack, it is unacceptable. We must not judge things in variable geometry”.
Recall that, three minutes after the truce came into force on Sunday, the Israeli army announced that it was carrying out strikes on Islamic Jihad positions in Gaza, “in response” to rocket fire.
franceinfo: Are you confident with this truce that has been decided?
Hala Abou-Hassira: No, it’s the umpteenth truce following the umpteenth attack against the Palestinian people. The scenario repeats itself every time there are Israeli elections in sight. Every Israeli prime minister uses Palestinian blood, sheds Palestinian blood, and competes with other political candidates in Israel to kill the most Palestinians and shed the most Palestinian blood. What confidence can we have in Israel which does not stop attacking the Gaza Strip and this time it is an unjustified attack on the part of Israel.
Israel says it attacked the Gaza Strip because it feared reprisals from Islamic Jihad after the arrest of one of its leaders. Do you understand this concern?
It’s the same scenario every time, you fear something and you end up launching a murderous attack and killing children. Fifteen Palestinian children, 4 Palestinian women, 350 injured, 44 dead in total, with massive destruction of infrastructure in the Gaza Strip and terror experienced by the 2 million inhabitants. How can such a reaction be justified? Israel was waiting for a reaction from the Islamic Jihad after arresting the leader and for lack of reaction Israel decides, alone, to launch a deadly attack against the Gaza Strip. Israel is judging intentions and justifying its attacks with fear. Israel is the strongest power militarily in the region, it has the gift of intercepting rockets.
So Israel has no reason to worry?
We must not forget that the Palestinian people have been under military occupation which has lasted for more than 55 years. There is an apartheid system imposed on all of the occupied Palestinian people. It is the Palestinian people without shelter, without protection, who have the right to defend themselves and it is the protection of the people which must be ensured against the aggressor State and theEoccupying state. International reactions, including those of France, the EUnited States, of Great Britain, are unacceptable. When we put back to back the aggressor and the attacked it is unacceptable. When we do not invoke the primary responsibility of theEstate of Israel in this attack is unacceptable. One should not judge things with variable geometry.
Are you asking for more international protection?
This was voted by a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly: the guarantee of international protection to the Palestinian population under occupation. It is more than necessary to ensure this protection. It is important that the impunity of Israel, which has become a Estate above the law, cease. The International Criminal Court must speed up its investigation into the war crimes committed by Israeli officials in order to bring those responsible to justice. It is important to end the military occupation and the apartheid regime imposed on the entire Palestinian territory.