A leading member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Mustafa Barghouti, says Israel is “carrying out the annihilation of the Palestinian people” in Gaza. He says Israel wants to force them out of Gaza and this is, he says, a form of ethnic cleansing.
In a 15-minute interview to Karan Thapar for The Wire, recorded from Ramallah, Barghouti said comments made by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and earlier by President Joe Biden, cautioning against the killing of innocent civilians, and warning that Israel must abide by the rules of war, are simply being said for pro forma purposes. Neither Blinken nor Biden mean it, and they are certainly not cautioning Israel. If they were, they would have demanded a ceasefire immediately.
Questioned about the fact that Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas has so far been silent and has not criticised the Israeli attack on Gaza, Barghouti was critical [of the president] and said he should have spoken. However, he was more critical of Germany, whose Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, according to Al Jazeera, has called Abbas’s silence on the Hamas attack on Israel “shameful”.
The interview aimed to provide the Indian audience with an understanding of what the situation is in Gaza. While we are aware of what the Israelis are going through, as this aspect is being reported by the western media, it’s equally important to shed light on the Palestinians and Gaza. We need to know about them, too, otherwise we will not have a balanced view of the situation and certainly not an accurate and correct one.
According to reports, Israel has deliberately cut off electricity, water, food, and fuel to Gaza. So, what is life like for the 2.3 million Palestinians besieged in that narrow strip between Israel and the Mediterranean Sea? Not only are they starved and deprived of basic necessities of life, they also face continual heavy bombing day and night.
According to the United Nations, 338,000 people in Gaza have been displaced and rendered homeless. At least 1,354 people have been killed and 6,049 injured. Close to 200,000 have taken shelter in the UN-run schools in the belief that these premises will not be attacked by the Israelis. Most hospitals have run short of medicines and other supplies. According to reports, the main hospital has fuel to work its generators for just three to four days.
