As Long as Israelis Are in Gaza, There Will be Resistance – Palestinian Prof

Israel's minister of intelligence, Yisrael Katz, has said the country should halt its ties with the Gaza Strip in retaliation to the latest eruption of violence in the area, and cut off its power supply among, other restrictive measures. Abdul Sattar Kassem, professor of political science, has shared his views on this.

Sputnik: What is your take on the recent spate of violence on the Gaza border that has been called unprecedented since 2014?

Abdul Sattar Kassem: We all would expect the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, and there is a possibility that the Israelis might wage a new war against us. … As long there [is a] Palestinian resistance in Gaza, as long as there are people who are willing to face the Israelis, Israel will continue its aggression policies towards Gaza. It’s unfortunate that there are Palestinians who are helping the Israelis in order to dismantle the Palestinian resistance in Gaza.

That’s a high possibility. Besides the investment embargo, there is the siege; the Israelis are besieging Gaza, together with Egypt and the Palestinian authority. All of these actions are designed to cripple the Palestinian resistance in Gaza, and I don’t think that these policies are going to succeed.

The Palestinian resistance is still there in Gaza and it will remain there. That’s unfortunate that the American policies are trying to reward aggressive Israel at the expense of the Palestinians.

Sputnik: What is your reaction, professor, to the idea of the mishandling of the situation on the Gaza border and the United Nation’s response to the situation?

Abdul Sattar Kassem: Now, look, for the Palestinians, we do not have any faith in the United Nations. The UN created the state of Israel, and the United Nations is a reason for the atrocities that have been done against our own people.

And if it wasn’t for the Palestinians, the UN would have played a major role in getting the refugees back to their homes and their properties; as you see, there is a UN resolution calling for the return of the Palestinians, and the UN [will not] accept Israel as a member of the United Nations, until Israel has a guarantee that it will allow the Palestinians back to their homes and properties.

Nothing has been done in this regard, and the United Nations has been silent all the time; and even all the international states do not talk about the right of return of the Palestinians.

The views and opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect Sputnik's position.