Israeli wall killing hopes for Palestine state: Analyst

Press TV has conducted an interview with Alice Rothschild, an author and filmmaker, about the Israel’s construction of another part of the separation wall in the West Bank.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: I wonder... Obviously, this entire wall is controversial in and of itself, but how do you feel about this specific news?

Rothschild: Well, I think we have to remember that the wall has been condemned by the international courts and it’s illegal in its entirety. The current addition to what they’re doing is clearly a land grab. It’s going to annex both agricultural land, olive groves, orchards, bee hives as well as two monasteries that not only have agricultural work but also have important educational institutions and put that all on the sort of Israel’s side of wall.

And it also is a way to get the settlement of Har Gilo, which is right next to Beit Jala, again making it more contiguous with the settlement of Gilo, which is now part of Jerusalem. So, this is wrong in so many different ways and it’s again part of the death knell of any Palestinian state.

Press TV: I don’t want to pit any religions against each other, Miss Rothschild, but I’m wondering because, as you mentioned, monasteries would be affected and Palestinian Christian area there as well. I’m wondering what does it say about Israel, which calls itself the only democracy in the Middle East?

Rothschild: Well, we all know that that’s been open to major questions. I think this is another moment where Christians will find it increasingly difficult to stay. And there’s also already been a massive leaving of Christians from Palestine because of how difficult it is to live there. And this is going to be more of the same.

And again the Muslim Palestinians also face similar kinds of things. This happens to be aimed at Christian Palestinians. And it will constrict Bethlehem even more. And Bethlehem is already a prison in terms of the major walls around it and the difficulties going in and out. So, it only increases that imprisonment.

Press TV: One of the things about this wall, Miss Rothschild, has always been the talk of any future peace settlement and what a “Palestinian state” may look like. What does this do to any such hopes?

Rothschild: Well, in my book, the hopes died a while ago, but I think this is another nail in the coffin for that particular hope, because if you look at the Israeli behavior in terms of land grabs, location of the wall, location of military zones, there is not a contiguous viable Palestinian state that’s left. And this is just another piece of that action.

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