Drummond
07-28-2014, 01:32 PM
I'm a bit surprised that I found this. But, anyway ... the BBC - as I said on another thread - recently arranged an interview with the leader of Hamas, for their 'HardTalk' programme. Typically, these broadcasts last close to 30 minutes.
It was screened on BBC News on 25th July .. it may well be repeated sometime. It's the format of the programme that the interviewer basically 'grills' his interviewee, asking some highly blunt, tough, direct questions with little or no regard for any 'niceties'. Well .. I expected that the BBC would give this character an easy time of it, possibly a sympathetic interview. I'm happy to report that he did nothing of the kind !
Tim Sebastian was the interviewer .... Khaled Meshaal, the interviewee.
Here's the link I've found to a transcript of the interview. I recommend that you read it.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/hardtalk/3639093.stm
Here's an interesting extract from it (towards its end) .....
--- TS- Answer me just one question. Does Israel have the right to exist in peace? Do you acknowledge the right of Israel to exist in peace?
KM: We consider Palestine our land and this is our natural right and the occupation must end. Occupation cannot be divided.
TS- Answer the question, yes or no, does Israel have the right to exist? It's a very simple question.
KM: I am saying we have the right to our land and we have the right to be freed from occupation. Any occupation even if time goes by doesn't become legitimate.
TS- So the answer is no. Israel does not have the right to exist. That's what you're telling me.
KM: The occupation doesn't become legitimate even after a long time. You are talking about a fair and comprehensive peace. The Palestinian who was forced to leave his land in Haifa and Jafa, if he doesn't return to his land, how do you say this is fair? Why do you stick to your rights in Europe and the whole world while you ask us to drop ours?
TS- So Israel does not have the right to exist. Let's just clarify this once and for all. You're saying Israel does not have the right to exist.
TS- So you're not going to answer my question. Let's just clarify that for the sake of the viewers, you're not going to answer my question because it's too difficult.
KM: This is not difficult. I answered in the spirit of the situation. Occupation must end regardless of the duration. Therefore, it is our right to hold on to our land.
TS- How can anyone negotiate with people who will not give a straight answer to a straight question? How?
KM: Didn't you understand my answer?
TS- I don't think the rest of the world will understand.
KM: People will understand it. I am asking you one question. Before 1948 what was happening on the land of Palestine? There were a people living peacefully on its land.
TS- Mr Meshaal, you want to go backwards when the rest of the world wants to go forward. You always go back.
KM: I am telling the truth, if you want to deal with a present situation you must look to its roots.
TS- Mr Meshaal, you came from Syria to do this interview here in Beirut and a lot of people might expect that you would have something new to offer. Something apart from just the same old cycle of violence. Do you really have nothing new to offer to this process?
KM: I will summarize very clearly Hamas position. First to adopt it in Europe and oblige America to do so. It consists of putting aside civilians in the struggle. If you were pitying the circle of killings in occupied Palestine oblige Israel to accept to put aside civilians in the struggle from both sides.
TS- Put aside the civilians as a first step.
KM: I am telling you let us stop the bloodshed from both sides. Let us put aside civilians in the struggle and let it just be between resistance from the Palestinian side and the Israeli forces and settlers. You are refusing this. When you are refusing our initiative to put aside civilians, you are allowing continuing the bloodshed. Why do you want to make pressure just on us and you can't do any pressure on Israel?
TS- And the second step?
KM: After that if Israel is convinced and sees the necessity to withdraw from the occupied territories, then this is a good step and then I would think the violence and killings in the region would stop even for a period of time, then coming generations would continue their own vision. But at least let us do a first step. Let us stop the struggle between civilians, let Israel withdraw first then tell the Palestinian people we gave you a state.
.... So, then. A complete refusal from this Meshaal character to say, on air, that he'll concede that Israel has any right to exist. More, he wants Israel to be pushed back, and to allow Palestinians full autonomy on what he regards as 'their' land.
Any move towards this, no matter how relatively minor, would give Hamas freedom to arm themselves without restrictions. And since Hamas WILL NOT recognise Israel's right to exist .. fully in line with the Hamas Charter, they'll keep on fighting in defiance of that right.
It's obvious.
It's also obvious that Israel, to put it mildly, has nothing to gain, and a massive amount to lose, by accepting anything that the Hamas side wants.
And so the terrorism from Hamas continues on. From what Meshall says, I believe it can be inferred that concessions from the Israeli side will win temporary periods of peace, but with no guarantee available, at all, of anything permanent. What a surprise, eh ?:rolleyes:
Which means that the likes of Kerry and the UN are, in this conflict, purely a waste of space.
There is only, ultimately, one reality in play. Hamas will not, ever, accept Israel's right to exist. Hamas exists to oppose their existence and to see Israelis driven from their land. Ultimately, either Israel decides to curl up and die, OR, it fights on, with the destruction of Hamas its only realistic goal.
It was screened on BBC News on 25th July .. it may well be repeated sometime. It's the format of the programme that the interviewer basically 'grills' his interviewee, asking some highly blunt, tough, direct questions with little or no regard for any 'niceties'. Well .. I expected that the BBC would give this character an easy time of it, possibly a sympathetic interview. I'm happy to report that he did nothing of the kind !
Tim Sebastian was the interviewer .... Khaled Meshaal, the interviewee.
Here's the link I've found to a transcript of the interview. I recommend that you read it.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/hardtalk/3639093.stm
Here's an interesting extract from it (towards its end) .....
--- TS- Answer me just one question. Does Israel have the right to exist in peace? Do you acknowledge the right of Israel to exist in peace?
KM: We consider Palestine our land and this is our natural right and the occupation must end. Occupation cannot be divided.
TS- Answer the question, yes or no, does Israel have the right to exist? It's a very simple question.
KM: I am saying we have the right to our land and we have the right to be freed from occupation. Any occupation even if time goes by doesn't become legitimate.
TS- So the answer is no. Israel does not have the right to exist. That's what you're telling me.
KM: The occupation doesn't become legitimate even after a long time. You are talking about a fair and comprehensive peace. The Palestinian who was forced to leave his land in Haifa and Jafa, if he doesn't return to his land, how do you say this is fair? Why do you stick to your rights in Europe and the whole world while you ask us to drop ours?
TS- So Israel does not have the right to exist. Let's just clarify this once and for all. You're saying Israel does not have the right to exist.
TS- So you're not going to answer my question. Let's just clarify that for the sake of the viewers, you're not going to answer my question because it's too difficult.
KM: This is not difficult. I answered in the spirit of the situation. Occupation must end regardless of the duration. Therefore, it is our right to hold on to our land.
TS- How can anyone negotiate with people who will not give a straight answer to a straight question? How?
KM: Didn't you understand my answer?
TS- I don't think the rest of the world will understand.
KM: People will understand it. I am asking you one question. Before 1948 what was happening on the land of Palestine? There were a people living peacefully on its land.
TS- Mr Meshaal, you want to go backwards when the rest of the world wants to go forward. You always go back.
KM: I am telling the truth, if you want to deal with a present situation you must look to its roots.
TS- Mr Meshaal, you came from Syria to do this interview here in Beirut and a lot of people might expect that you would have something new to offer. Something apart from just the same old cycle of violence. Do you really have nothing new to offer to this process?
KM: I will summarize very clearly Hamas position. First to adopt it in Europe and oblige America to do so. It consists of putting aside civilians in the struggle. If you were pitying the circle of killings in occupied Palestine oblige Israel to accept to put aside civilians in the struggle from both sides.
TS- Put aside the civilians as a first step.
KM: I am telling you let us stop the bloodshed from both sides. Let us put aside civilians in the struggle and let it just be between resistance from the Palestinian side and the Israeli forces and settlers. You are refusing this. When you are refusing our initiative to put aside civilians, you are allowing continuing the bloodshed. Why do you want to make pressure just on us and you can't do any pressure on Israel?
TS- And the second step?
KM: After that if Israel is convinced and sees the necessity to withdraw from the occupied territories, then this is a good step and then I would think the violence and killings in the region would stop even for a period of time, then coming generations would continue their own vision. But at least let us do a first step. Let us stop the struggle between civilians, let Israel withdraw first then tell the Palestinian people we gave you a state.
.... So, then. A complete refusal from this Meshaal character to say, on air, that he'll concede that Israel has any right to exist. More, he wants Israel to be pushed back, and to allow Palestinians full autonomy on what he regards as 'their' land.
Any move towards this, no matter how relatively minor, would give Hamas freedom to arm themselves without restrictions. And since Hamas WILL NOT recognise Israel's right to exist .. fully in line with the Hamas Charter, they'll keep on fighting in defiance of that right.
It's obvious.
It's also obvious that Israel, to put it mildly, has nothing to gain, and a massive amount to lose, by accepting anything that the Hamas side wants.
And so the terrorism from Hamas continues on. From what Meshall says, I believe it can be inferred that concessions from the Israeli side will win temporary periods of peace, but with no guarantee available, at all, of anything permanent. What a surprise, eh ?:rolleyes:
Which means that the likes of Kerry and the UN are, in this conflict, purely a waste of space.
There is only, ultimately, one reality in play. Hamas will not, ever, accept Israel's right to exist. Hamas exists to oppose their existence and to see Israelis driven from their land. Ultimately, either Israel decides to curl up and die, OR, it fights on, with the destruction of Hamas its only realistic goal.