United World International has organized an international webinar on “West Asia and Palestine” with participation from Palestine, Turkey, Syria, Iran and Pakistan on June 10th, 2021.
Today, we present the full speech of Dr. Bessam Abu Abdullah, political scientist from Syria, as delivered. Subheadings were set by UWI.
The entire webinar can be watched in the link below:
Thank you very much Mr Soner and thank you for the presentation of our friends from Gaza and from Turkey.
“The Palestinian issue is the issue of a people under occupation – not of services or food support”
I want to mention about some points very important to redefine some approaches towards the Palestinian issue but very fast and it’s important nowadays after 73 years of this issue. First of all, the Palestinian issue is not an issue of services or people looking for food or for support or humanitarian aid or forced transformation of territories. We are talking here about the issue of people under occupation – that’s very dangerous kind of occupation – and under the discrimination and apartheid regime. So Palestinian issue is not a Christian issue or Islamic issue, it’s a human issue. So it’s not only issue of Western Asia but also issue of the 20th century.
The second one, Israel or Zionism was merely a project of the old colonial regime which was led by France and Britain and then this project was transformed towards United States after the Second World War. The dangerous thing that they are covering themselves with the Jewish religious, but the people in this region have no problem with the Jews. Our struggle is against the Zionism. This is very important point. This project is became as an instrument in the hand of the capitalists and big companies in the world, especially, Britain then United States to control the resources of this region and to divide this region more and more. The dangerous point is that if you are struggling against this Zionist project, they will directly accuse you that you are anti-Semitist. When I am attacking the Israeli policy, it doesn’t mean that I am anti-Semitist. This is the dangerous part of the Western propaganda which is used for the Israeli policies during the centuries.
The third point, the last battle in Palestine was not only against the Gaza and whole Palestinian participated in this battle so we should say to Israel ‘enough is enough’; enough apartheid, enough crimes, enough genocide against the Palestinians and enough aggression against the all the people in the region. I am talking here about the Syrian people in Golan heights and the Syrian people who exposed to Israeli military attack just two days ago. So we should stand against this aggression after 73 years of this project and occupation. It needs more and more, not only the Western part of Asia, but also an international solidarity with the Palestinian people and this region’ people.
Palestine is part of Syria’s national security
The fourth point, everyone knows I don’t want to explain historically but the Palestinian issue was central for the Syrian people and Syrian governments. We are considering Palestinian issue as a part of our national security and everyone knows that Syria has paid very high price for that and we have still occupied territories as Golan Heights.
The fifth point, Syria is considering that the resistance movement is the right of the Palestinian people. That is why Syria has supported all Palestinian resistance movements, no matter what their ideological orientation was. Thus, Hamas was in Syria, Islamic Jihad had its offices in Damascus, Jabha Sharia Demokratiya too, all were in Syria. So it doesn’t matter, we are supporting the resistance as the principle for the Palestinian people.
I should remain that Colin Powell warned president Bashar al-Assad in 2003 April that “If you will not close the offices of the Palestinian movements in Syria, we will punish you”. And they implemented a lot of sanctions against Syria because of the Palestinian issue. It doesn’t matter that West is talking about the human rights. This is only propaganda. Everyone knows that for the West, the human rights in our region don’t matter.
So I think Syria is still one of the most important logistic support training for all resistance movements in Palestine. Besides the military support from Syria, many media offices and political offices are moving through Syria and they are still in Syria. By the way, everyone knows that Al Kassam in Palestine in Hamas is relevant to Izzeddin Al Kassam who was a Syrian fight for the Palestinians and died in Palestine. So the connection between the Syria and Palestine is very strong one and we are considering that it is not a tactical issue, it is a strategic issue for Syria.
“Negotiations have failed, if continued, they need to be based on power and strength”
The other point, which I want to mention that Syria supports all kind of resistance movements, we are supporting Hezbollah against the Israeli occupation in Lebanon and still we are supporting Iraqi movement’s resistance against the American occupation. So the principle which I can see that the resistance is only way to solve this problem and Israel will not understand any other language. The approach of negotiations, the Oslo Way, has failed after more than 20-25 years. If the Palestinians negotiate, then they need to have strength and power, than the Israeli side and the international community will listen. The important part of the changes in the region is the alliance between Syria and Iran. It was very important axis for supporting Palestinian issue.
Because, as Dr. Naim mentioned, the Arab world is dividing now and some Arab states going to normalization in their relations with Israel. So this axis between Syria, Iran and Hezbollah and other movements ( I mean there are political movements in Turkey, in Tunisia, in Morocco and many other places) are very important to support Palestinian resistance. So without power, there is no resource. This is the conclusion of the history of the Vietnamese and the history of the many people around the World.
“The West is trying to create a new Israel under the title of ‘Kurdistan'”
Another point which is very important that there is a new project now. Western states including the United States are trying to create for us a new Israel under the title of the ‘Kurdish Project’. The first Israel was imposed on us in the 20th century, the 21st century they want to create a new Israel under the ‘Kurdish’ title. Here, our response is very important. They have always depended on the strategy of divide-and-rule. This is a situation continuing after 100 years of Sykes Picot. So what we should do? Now we are talking as a Palestinian, Syrian, Pakistani and Turkish, and we should coordinate our efforts.
I understand the Turkish military presence in the North of Syria as to prevent the Kurdish project and YPG, and Syria also considers the YPG as a terrorist organization. But at the same time in Idlib there is also terrorist organization and the only way to prevent this project is cooperation between Syria and Turkey. It doesn’t matter the ideological background of this position. We should understand that we face the projects which were built by France, Britain and US and we should stop this kind of future and coordinate between West Asia countries especially between Iran, Turkey and Syria, without giving importance to ideological backgrounds as Muslim Brotherhood or others. Otherwise we will see another Israel and fill in the same trap in this century.
“We should support the Palestinian cause not just in words”
The lastly what I want to say that the question here is ‘what is the solution of Palestinian issue?’ First of all we should support the Palestinian Resistance, and not only in words. See how many UN resolutions have passed and what result they brought. When in the last battle Palestinian missiles reached Israeli heartland and the Israelis had to flee underground, and then the US understood that these are not words but rockets. So we should support the resistance militarily. I think Syria, Iran, Hezbollah are doing that to make understand Israel that this version of Israel should be stopped. I should also mention that the whole war against Syria during 10 years is not for human rights, not for freedom in Syria and not for democracy. Now everyone understand that Syria is a main hub for all resistance movements. Because of that they wanted to destroy Syrian state and divide it into many states to protect the national security of Israel. So the first is supporting the resistance movement. Second, if they will go to negotiations, the resistance is the important way for that. Now there is a new equation that, if Israel will attack to Jerusalem or Al-Aqsa, I think Israel will be face with a regional war. Israel should understand that Palestinians are not alone, there is access of resistance starting from Yemen to Iran, to Syria, to Lebanon to Iraq. This is the most important factor.
There are also other important international factors. I can see a change inside the US. The Americans have started to see the Palestinian issue with two eyes, not one eye. There is an important role to be played for Russia and China and international community. I think China is dealing with Israel and Russia is considering that Israel has right to exist, but at the same time we can get use the force of the new international players. Thus, we should finish the American role in the Palestinian issue, because America is not a good mediator in the Palestinian issue.