International community failing Palestinians: Analyst

Press TV has conducted an interview with Stephan Lendman, writer and radio host from Chicago, about the Israeli regime’s illegal settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian lands.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Looking at the words of Secretary General of PLO Saeb Erekat where he says, “Tel Aviv settlement activities on Palestinian territories continue to entrench Israel’s colonial occupation.” Do you agree with that assessment?

Lendman: I certainly do agree with all of that and it’s a war crime. It’s a crime against the well-being of Palestinian people, but at the same time especially since Oslo September 1993, soon to get closer to 23 years, the PA established by Oslo has collaborated with Israel against the interest of the Palestinian people instead of helping the Palestinian people. The PA is the problem not the solution. So, I agree with all of those comments, but the PA is doing nothing to solve them.

Press TV: Right, so, what needs to change considering that the numbers here are staggering when an activist group says that settlement building or planning tripled in the first quarter of 2016. This is obviously land theft from the Palestinians, and let’s not forget we’re seeing mass arrests take place in the occupied West Bank, Palestinians have been killed, over 200, since October.

Lendman: Absolutely I’ve written so much about it for awhile, I was writing daily articles on what was going on. It really is a horror and it’s basically cruel if you watch the Western media especially the media I watch in America the main was New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and Chicago Tribune, you see so little about this. And what is written is completely distorted, one-sidedly supporting Israel, ignoring the needs and horrors committed against the Palestinian people. They’re getting no support from the world community. They’re virtually and entirely on their own. And the only solution I see is to continue resistance, [can be] wind of the change, because they will never get through the peace talks that are dead on arrival whenever beginning a waste of time, the greatest hope in the history of so-called peace talks and negotiations, the only solution is resistance absolutely long-term committed and change can’t come any other way, but I want to know how many people will have to die and suffer before there is any relief. It’s a horrible situation. Israel is a fascist, police state, apartheid, worse than South Africa and America and its allies in Western countries in north.

Press TV: Let not forget Israel does rely heavily on support from the United States specifically in international form like the UN Security Council. However, right now there is an election here in the US, when you look at the list of the candidates, is there anyone who can bring that change when it comes to the US’ policy towards Israel?

Lendman: I’d love to say there was a chance, but my honest interviews here is a zero chance that any candidate I don’t care who it is coming to office as president or into any key position in the Congress will do anything at all for the Palestinians. The support for Israel has been one-sided from many many decades. It will continue whether a Republican or a Democrat leads the country as president or holds any top congressional position or any position on the Supreme Court,  again Palestinians are completely on their own, could get no help from America.

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