Israel’s ‘aim is to force Palestinians from their land’

They want to grab the territory, top Arab League official tells Arab News

Israel’s aim is to drive the Palestinian people from all the occupied territories, the assistant secretary-general to the Arab League has told Arab News. “From the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza, they would love for the Palestinians just to vanish,” Hossam Zaki said in an interview with Katie Jensen, host of the Arab News current affairs program “Frankly Speaking.” “We all know that because we know that they want the land.

They want to grab the territory. They want to annex the territory to their state.”

Zaki said previous mass displacements would not be repeated. “The Palestinians have learned from the mistakes of the past — from the 1948 war and 1967 war — that once they move out of their territory, the territory is confiscated by Israel, taken under control by Israel. And it seems to be such an uphill battle to get it back,” he said.

“The hope of getting back territory is ever so pale. So, what we are doing is, we are assisting the Palestinians to hold on to their territory, to hold on to their land, and not to move out of the land, because they know the consequences of moving out.” Zaki rejected the Israeli suggestion that the Arab states had failed to offer sanctuary to Palestinian refugees. “They can criticize us all they want,” he said.

“We have Palestinians living in all Arab countries, some in refugee camps — very, very few — but most living like the normal citizens of these countries.

“In Egypt and the Gulf countries, in Jordan, in North Africa, all Arab countries, you have Palestinians.”