LONDON – The Palestinian diplomatic representative to Britain has buried the
idea of a two-state solution, saying that he believes that Jews are the children
of God “because nobody is stopping them from building their messianic dream of
the Land of Israel [Eretz Yisrael].”
Manuel Hassassian, the head of the
Palestinian delegation to London, was speaking in parliament on Tuesday night at
an event organized by the anti-Israel fringe group Palestine Solidarity
Campaign.
The Palestinian representative, who was appointed to London in
2005, advocated a one-state solution.
He told the audience of around 100
people that it was his personal belief that Israel does not want peace and
“nurtures on conflict.”
“There is no two-state solution,” he said.
“Democracies don’t fight each other. If Israel is a democracy, I would claim
that the Palestinians are also a democracy. If democracies cannot fight each
other then why not have one state, one man, one vote?” Hassassian, an
Armenian-Palestinian born in Jerusalem, implied that God must be colluding with
Israel, hence the Jews are children of God, and asked how long the Palestinians
were going to suffer at the hands of Israel.
“We, the Palestinians, the
most highly educated and intellectual in the Middle East, are still struggling
for the basic right of self-determination. What an irony.
How long
are we going to suffer and be patient with Israel?” In response he reportedly
said: “You know I’m reaching the conclusion that the Jews are the children of
God, the only children of God and the Promised Land is being paid by God. I have
started to believe this because nobody is stopping Israel building its messianic
dream of Eretz Israel to the point I believe that maybe God is on their side,”
he said.
He also alluded to the demographic structure of Israel,
remarking on the growing population of the world’s Muslims.
“Israel will
never continue to exist as a pariah state. Israel could never continue to fight
wars against the Palestinians, against the Arabs and the Muslims. The US is not
going to be Israel’s strategic ally for time immemorial.
And today we
have 1.5 billion Muslims. In 20 years we will have two billion. And those two
billion, forget about politics, from a religious perspective will not allow
Israel to continue desecrating their religious rights [in Jerusalem], and then
what?” Also speaking at the event was Labor party Shadow Justice Minister Andy
Slaughter MP, Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Teather and veteran anti-Israel
campaigner and Labor MP Jeremy Corbyn.
According to the London-based
blogger Richard Millet, Slaughter accused Israel of deliberately killing
Palestinian families and controlling the Palestinians’ calorie
count.
Slaughter said Israel supplied Palestinians just enough to stop
them from starving and he added that Israel’s failure to supply clean water,
electricity and decent homes to Palestinians as “collective
punishment.”
In his speech, PSC chair Hugh Lanning claimed that Israel
has banned 180 life saving medicines from Gazan hospitals “because they might
save lives.”
Corbyn spoke about Gazans who had “never known the ability
to move out of Gaza.”
Millet commented on this statement saying,
“Ironically, he then introduced us to Rania Al-Najjar from Gaza who has just
completed a Masters in International Relations at London’s City University.”
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