Netanyahu responsible for Palestinian baby death: Commentator

Press TV has conducted an interview with Mahmoud Nawajaa, a political commentator in Ramallah, to discuss the recent Israeli arson attack that killed a Palestinian toddler in the West Bank.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: This incident has really brought up not only reactions within the occupied territories for obvious reasons but also international condemnation all the way to the White House and from Europe. We are surprised at the way this story about this toddler has gripped the world’s attention at this point. 

Nawajaa: Yes. This is not the only crime that settlers have committed against Palestinian people. They are committing crimes on daily basis but the problem is that people are talking about this is a settlers’ crime. It is not a settlers’ crime. The settlers are only a tool of the Israel …[regime], apartheid, discrimination, ethnic cleansing policies against Palestinian people. It is a crime committed by those policies by the … [regime] itself, by Netanyahu, by his cabinet, those whom hold responsibility and should be punished for these crimes.

The whole community, the international community should [impose] sanctions against Israel not only condemns these crimes because these crimes are done on daily basis against Palestinian people, by settlers and by also the occupation army when killing Laith Khaldi, the 18 years old Palestinian.

The responsible for these crimes should be the government and the settlers also but not the settlers only and then Netanyahu comes and condemns this crime. He committed these crimes against Palestinian people by expanding those settlements on the Palestinian land and by the impunity and the immunity of the settlers by not being punished by their own government and the impunity of Israel by not being punished by the international community and this complicity of the international community with these crimes against Palestinian people.

Press TV: Do you think that the Jewish settlers who are often attacking Palestinians, they have been carrying this approach out towards Palestinians for quite some time will be met now with any type of restrictions from Israel and their officials or are they just portraying this for the general public that they condemn this attack by the Jewish settlers, yet behind the scenes they are going to not condone it?

Nawajaa: It is only for the general public and even worse it is also a whitewashing of the crimes of the settlers as Netanyahu saying we will do anything against those settlers. He supports them. The Israeli occupation forces protect them from Palestinians. They even escorted them while doing these crimes against Palestinians. This is a whitewashing of the crime. The immunity will keep going and the immunity of this settlement against punishment will keep going. It is not a settlers’ issue. Only it is an issue of a government’s policies against Palestinians. Those are tools of this government applying these crimes and committing these crimes against Palestinian people.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk