Israel, US lash out at UN whenever criticized: Commentator

Press TV has interviewed Ibrahim Mousawi, a political commentator in Beirut, to discuss a resolution adopted by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), calling for setting up a database of businesses involved in activities in Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: As far as this resolution goes, is this a victory of the BDS movement that has been growing around the world?

Mousawi: Well we cannot talk about any kind of victory. What has been leaked out, what has been come against Israel from the United Nations’ different bodies is not something that is up to the level of the Israeli violations and the transgressions against the Palestinians in the different occupied territories whether in the Golan Heights or in the West Bank and the different Palestinian territories.

The US and the Israeli occupation, they always lash out against the UN bodies when they are being criticized. They want to do all the illegal actions, all the occupation actions without being criticized, without being blamed for anything. That is why they have their own alibis, they have their own pretexts. The accusations are ready to be leveled against the United Nations, against anyone. They talk about the anti-Semitism, they talk about the hypocrisy, while they themselves we know very well as much and many all over the world know that this is an existence that is illegal from its beginning, it is an occupation force and the people have the right to fight it, have the right to resist and have to take every action to stop them.

I say that the United Nations is not up to the level of standing up to the Israelis because United Nations different capacities and institutions, they are being under pressure from the United States, from other European countries, from Israel itself in order to exempt or to alleviate their criticism to the Israelis.  

Press TV: Then as you have just pointed out, Israel has been in violation of a number of UN resolutions that have been passed against it. So how can Israel be held accountable for the atrocities that are committed against Palestinians specifically at a time when these atrocities are increasing in number and in intensity?

Mousawi: Well you know very well now we are talking about a camp of countries that are being exempted from any illegal action against them. Take for example Saudi Arabia in Yemen, now we have like around one year of the Saudi aggression and violation for Yemen. You are talking about tens and hundreds of massacres that have been committed against the people. Did the United Nations take any action against them? Did they take any measure? The same applies to Israel.

Here you are talking about funding, here you are talking about political pressure and we know very well when it comes to the United Nations, when it comes to the US, to the so-called international community, they only look after their interests and they do not give any care or importance for the suffering of the people whether in Palestine, in Yemen or in different parts of the world.

Press TV: Footage has recently emerged of a wounded Palestinian lying on the ground in the occupied territories and the Israeli soldier present at the scene basically killing and shooting to death that unarmed Palestinian man, now this is just one of the examples of those atrocities that Palestinians have to live with day in and day out. If any change is to come, many say it has to come from within, so what would be the breaking point considering that settlement construction is at an all-time high, people’s houses are being destroyed by Israel, there is the Judaization of Jerusalem al-Quds, mass arrests are talking place and Palestinians are being killed in broad daylight?

Mousawi: The breaking point, the turning point is that the Palestinian people have to depend on themselves and this is very promising. I believe this kind of Intifada, renewing of the Intifada by the Palestinian youth, you are talking about 18, 19 years old people who never forget about the resistance against Israel, they have to depend on themselves and all of those who believe in resistance and awareness, they should start this and accumulate more awareness and reinforce the battle against the Israeli occupation and against the supporters of Israel.

I believe there is widespread network of supporters all over the world thanks to the social media and to the internet. This is a place where we have all to join shoulders in order to fight against the occupation and most importantly the Palestinians themselves have to depend on themselves, on their own hands, on their own muscles and not to wait for any Arab country to do anything to help them, not on [the] international community because this because this is a biased, hypocritical international community.

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