Ramallah: A senior Fatah official has sharply criticised the US Congress for pursuing policies that hurt Palestinian national interests at the behest of Israel.
In an interview with Gulf News, Nasser Al Kidwa — a nephew of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat — did not mince his words as he reacted to the US threat of closing down the office of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation in Washington.
“We cannot go back to business as usual after this. Even if the Trump administration finds a way out,” he said.
Last week, the Trump administration threatened the Palestinians it will shutter their office in Washington if the Palestinians try to get the International Criminal Court to prosecute Israelis for crimes against Palestinians.
The shock announcement infuriated Palestinian officials as chief negotiator Saeb Erekat threatened to freeze ties with US in response. Since then, the US has backtracked on its decision, saying it would merely impose limitations on the office that it expected would be lifted after 90 days.
Al Kidwa addressed the recent developments and shared his thoughts about the current state of relations between the US administration and the Palestinians.
The following are excerpts from the interview:
After the fiasco of the US threat to shutdown the office and the ensuing war of words, how will the Palestinian-US relationship be affected going forward?
NAK: It [the threat] is unacceptable and will naturally complicate the relationship. The main problem we are facing in the US is Congress, which has pursed pro-Israeli policies at the expense of Palestinian interests.
Congress has actively worked to create a web of legislation hostile to the Palestinian people.
The fact that Congress legislates laws at the behest of foreign governments is unprecedented.
I doubt the majority of the American people are aware that their representatives are working to serve Israeli interests.
Even now, Congress has enacted legislation criminalising the boycott against companies operating in Israeli-occupied territories. This is undermines international humanitarian law.
American citizens have the right to take positions against Israeli colonies.
So, your problem is with the US Congress, not with the Trump administration?
No, I’m not trying to absolve the administration from responsibility. Even if the administration finds a way out from this predicament, we cannot go back to business as usual. How both parties will be affected by this is so far unclear, but there will be serious repercussions, no doubt.
Do you expect US President Donald Trump to offer a meaningful peace deal?
He is determined to push forward with his vision, but whether that vision is acceptable to the Palestinians is not yet known. We are hopeful and looking forward to seeing what the plan will offer.
If it falls short of meeting the rights of the Palestinian people then of course we are not going to accept this and will pursue alternative plans. But, whether a peace is achieved or not, the rights of the Palestinian people should not be compromised. If there is no peace process, I think it is the duty of the international community to help the Palestinians achieve independence in a direct way, without a peace process. The two state solution is a political solution that been pushed by the international community, but our goal is independence.
A Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital is our eternal right. We are not waiting for Israeli acceptance of this.
What is the situation like on the ground in Palestine?
Israel has escalated their illegal activities. Not only are they building more colonies but [also] they are trying to establish a legal basis for the occupation. This is extremely dangerous.
The Knesset [legislative committee] is currently working on passing legislation that would be applied in the occupied territories which has never been done before.
In the past, all orders have been issued by the military. The Knesset is trying to legalise colonies and now there are talks on further enlarging the municipality of Occupied Jerusalem to include surrounding colonies.
There is an overall shift in Israel towards extreme right ideology.
If the Americans and the Europeans do not take a serious stand to stop this, I am afraid we will find ourselves in a lengthy, bloody confrontation. The Palestinians will ultimately win but at a heavy price, most probably.
But we prefer not to go down that road. We prefer the road towards coexistence.
What is going on with the reconciliation attempts between Fatah and Hamas?
The circumstances are better now that Hamas has handed over power. Our goal now is restoring unity. The change in Hamas’ leadership was a major factor in being able to do so.
To achieve reunification there are three basic requirements from our side: Hamas should give up control of Gaza, the participation of all political forces (Hamas included), and full partnership.
There will be challenges as Hamas’ 10-year administrative grip on Gaza will be hard to unravel overnight. It will take time but I think this time we will succeed in a lasting unity deal.
Should Hamas be forced to disarm as a part of the unity deal?
As long as will live under Israeli occupation, then no. Israel tried three times in their wars against Gaza to disarm Hamas and failed. However, the control of such weapons should be under the authority of the Palestinian leadership.
Have you received any guarantees that the US will not move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Occupied Jerusalem?
For now I do not expect such a move but I cannot rule out that it won’t happen in the future. If it happens, the situation will be very difficult to control.
