Thursday, September 14, 2023
Elder of Ziyon
Question: Thank you, Mr. Secretary-General. This is Abdelhamid Siyam from the Arabic daily, al-Quds al-Arabi. This is your seventh year in office, and I had been asking you about the question of Palestine, and you keep repeating about the two-State solution, and there is no option B. My question this time will be a little bit different. Does the Palestinian people have the right to resist occupation, similar to any people who fell under colonial Powers, foreign intervention, foreign occupation? They are made heroes in their countries. We put some of their statues in the UN because they fought colonialism and foreign domination. Why only the Palestinians, when they resist their occupiers, they are labelled as terrorists or violence? Or your representative in Jerusalem, Tor Wennesland, he called it unacceptable terrorism. Why? Thank you.Secretary-General: Well, first of all, I would like to say that I believe that we’ll be able to have a meeting on Monday that is being organized by the European Union and several Arab countries, in order to try to put again on the table the question of the peace process. Now, I came from India and I went to pay tribute to Gandhi. Let’s not forget the example of Gandhi. I think it’s important to recognize, to fully recognize the rights of the Palestinian people. I think it’s important to condemn any attempt to undermine the two-state solution, construction of settlements, eviction of Palestinian families and many other aspects. But, I do not think that it is with violence that the Palestinians will be able to better defend their interests. That is my humble opinion.
That is the most wishy-washy statement against terrorism I have ever seen.
Only Israeli actions "undermine the two state solution," but nothing that the Palestinians do - including terrorism. (Or like, uh, consistently rejecting the two state solution when offered.)
And he is simply saying that in his opinion, murdering Jews is not the best idea for Palestinians. He doesn't say it is wrong or that it is illegal or immoral. He even seems to tacitly admit that murdering Jews might be an effective way to "defend their interests," just not the optimal way of doing it.
That is a very bad message to give the world.
Compare to how one of Guterres' predecessors condemned terrorism two decades ago: "The central point is that there is nothing in the fact of occupation that justifies the targeting and killing of civilians."
And Hamas' reaction to his statement? They condemned it, of course: because killing Jews is their highest moral duty.
The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas rejects UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' labeling of Palestinian resistance to the Israeli occupation as 'violence'.Hamas confirms that such a misnomer does not suit a genuine human right – i.e. the right to self-defense against the aggression inflicted by an occupying power and a legitimate act as per international laws and norms.The Palestinian people will never abolish such a right and will continue to fight the Israeli occupation and its Judaisation schemes until they liberate their homeland.
Yes, stabbing, shooting and bombing Jewish civilians is "self-defense" - and "a genuine human right."
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