"The future is with us"

Published : Oct 28, 2000 00:00 IST

Interview with Palestinian Ambassador Khalid El-Sheikh.

Dr. Khalid El-Sheikh, the Ambassador of the State of Palestine in India, has himself been an active participant in the struggle for a Palestinian homeland. As a young man, he was a fighter with the Al-Fatah guerilla movement. He has been an active diplomat since the 1980s and is the first Ambassador of Palestine in India. He was in the West Bank when the current round of the struggle erupted. His nephew, only 18 years of age, was among those killed by the Israeli occupation forces. Ambassador El- Sheikh spoke to John Cherian about the crisis in his homeland.

Is the Oslo peace process dead?

Unfortunately, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak said so before the Sharm El-Sheikh summit. We hope not. Peace and negotiations are the only way to solve our problems. Israel should realise that force cannot suppress our people. They cannot dictate the t erms of the peace which, in actual terms, means capitulation for us. We hope that the understanding reached at Sharm El-Sheikh will be sincerely implemented by them so that the killings can stop.

But Israel is threatening to use maximum force and more people, including innocent children, are being killed even after Sharm El-Sheikh.

Barak seems to be continuing with his old policy. Only the other day he threatened the Palestinian people with "days of fire". We believe that the Israelis have exhausted their best means of killing which is unprecedented in the history of mankind. But t hey know very well that this will not break the will of our people. In 1987, when the first intifada started, Yitzhak Rabin, who was then the Israeli Defence Minister said that he needed only two weeks to bring the situation under control. After one and a half years, he admitted that negotiations were the only solution to end the violence.

The use of tanks and helicopters against civilians and the killing of children is unprecedented in the history of mankind. Such acts were not committed even by the Nazis. It is an insult to the human conscience.

Many innocent people have been killed, like the 12-year-old boy who was going to school. He was in his school uniform and was accompanied by his father. He was carrying his school bag and was not even a participant in the demonstrations. They were shooti ng at them for 45 minutes. The boy died in his father's arms. The father was critically injured after being shot eight times. Even if he recovers, he will remain paralysed for life. The Israelis say the shooting was accidental.

The Western media has focussed on an incident in which two Israeli soldiers were killed by a group of Palestinians.

What happened was regrettable, though the same soldiers may have had a hand in the killing of our children. We do not justify such a course of action. It is against all human values and against our traditions. We ourselves are victims so we do not want t o victimise others. At the same time, this incident should not be compared to the widespread atrocities that are being carried out by Israelis against us. What were the two soldiers doing in Ramallah when the funeral of two young children killed a day ea rlier was under way and when emotions were running high? It is unbelievable that they lost their way in a town that is under virtual military occupation by the Israelis and ringed by military checkpoints. We believe that the two were members of an underc over Israeli force which has been killing our people and carrying out kidnappings.

Have the recent events isolated Israel?

Almost the entire world is behind us. There have been demonstrations all over the world condemning the excessive use of force and the killing of civilians. The international community has held Israelis responsible not only for the killing but also for pr ovoking the violence following the visit of Ariel Sharon to the holy site in Jerusalem. Yesterday (October 19), the U.N. Human Rights Commission in Geneva passed a strong resolution condemning Israel and comparing its actions to "war crimes".

How do you view the Government of India's stand? It has still not issued a statement condemning the Israeli actions.

The Government of India has issued three statements on the events in our region. We are in touch with the officials concerned in the Indian government about the developing situation. India will remain a friend, despite everything.

Has the anger on the Arab streets against Israel shaken the governments of the region?

The Arab anger on the streets has taken the shape of a mass movement. It is another uprising of the Arab masses not only against Israel and the massacres but also against the biased role of the United States in the peace process, its partiality and conti nued support for Israel's brutal policies. Big demonstrations in all the Arab capitals have focussed on the U.S.' double standards. Strong voices are calling for a boycott of U.S. businesses in the region and for the imposition of an oil embargo.

Has the issue of Jerusalem become the most emotive one for Palestinians?

Well, Jerusalem has holy places sacred to three religions. But the issue of Palestine is not only concerning Jerusalem. Israelis, by focussing on Jerusalem, want to portray the struggle of the Palestinians as a religious struggle while the real issue is that of sovereignty and independence. There are other serious issues, like the problem of refugees, issues concerning settlements and the demarcation of borders. Settlement of the Jerusalem issue alone will not settle the Palestinian question. What we ne ed is a comprehensive settlement that will address all the issues and which will ultimately lead to the freedom of the people of Palestine.

Will the Arab nations put up a united front this time?

Sensing the pressure from the Arab masses, the Arab governments will fulfil their duty and obligations. They will have to emphasise the right of the Palestinian people for a just, comprehensive and durable peace which will ultimately lead to the withdraw al of Israeli troops from our territory and allow an independent Palestine to come into existence with Jerusalem as its capital. Our peaceful intentions should not be misinterpreted. It should not be an unjust peace. It should be a peace based on the agr eement signed between us and them. If Israel does not yield to the sincere call of the Arabs for peace, then we will have to think about other options like an economic boycott.

Is the declaration of an independent Palestinian state an option?

We have been studying this option in the last few months. We will declare independence at the appropriate time. Some had wanted independence to be declared during the Arab summit in Cairo. Others want to wait for some time. The important thing is to find the most convenient and suitable time in order to serve our purpose.

In retrospect, do you think that signing the Oslo agreements was a mistake?

It was not a mistake. Oslo was a journey we had undertaken to try and resolve the Palestinian problem through political and peaceful means. Perhaps it has failed, but it still remains an option for us to fight for our rights. Given the political environm ent and the compulsions that existed in the early 1990s, Oslo was a channel we had to use. If Oslo fails, we have to find another way for the peace process to go ahead. Sooner or later Israel will realise that there is no option for it but to negotiate. They should drop their reliance on the "logic of power" and instead concentrate on the "power of logic". Oslo was an attempt to infuse the power of logic but Israel still prefers the logic of power. There is a saying in Arabic: "A mosquito can kill a lio n if it targets its eyes". We were only giving peace a chance. We had come under severe criticism for signing the Oslo agreement. We tried to nourish an environment that would make the Israelis more confident, and feel more secure.

We will never be afraid of Israel. If young Palestinian boys can face helicopter gunships and tanks, you realise that Israeli ultimatums are a big joke. In fact, Israel has gone much beyond issuing ultimatums. It is not only killing us but is also trying to starve us to death. But we have great faith in our youth. Seeing the Palestinian youth in action I am confident that our 80 years of struggle, first against the British and then against Zionism, will not be in vain. The future is with us. We have see n many struggling peoples and liberation movements gain independence. We are not an exception. We would prefer to reach our goal through peaceful means.

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