‘If Al Aqsa is touched, Israel will pay the price’
Khaled Meshaal, head of the political bureau of Hamas, told Shannon Ebrahim that the group will do whatever it takes to end the occupation
SHANNON EBRAHIM: Do you believe that we are seeing the beginning of a third intifada? Khaled Meshaal: Yes, there are clear signs that we are on the verge of a real uprising. There is an expression of outrage against Israeli policies and actions against the Palestinian people and holy sites. Everything that happens on the ground brings an intifada closer.
The occupation itself is the source of the problem, particularly the settlement building.
The solution is not to manage the crisis, but to hit the source at its essence – and that is the continuous settlement building and confiscation of Palestinian land. There are now more than 600 000 Israeli settlers on Palestinian land. Many are attacking our people, and burning our children while they are sleeping.
The Palestinians are in turmoil – they are boiling. In the West Bank there is the repression of the Israeli occupying forces which continue to confiscate Palestinian land. Gaza remains under siege, and there is a ban by the Israelis on reconstruction after the destruction of the Gaza war.
The Israelis are involved in constant incitement – such as their attempts to divide the Al Aqsa mosque and tightening the siege of Gaza.
SE: How will Hamas support a third intifada, or provide leadership?
KM: A Palestinian uprising will involve the collective effort of all national powers, the uprising will move through collective power. It will be the collective soul of our youngsters. Hamas is keen to do whatever it takes for the uprising to succeed, as our objective is to end the occupation.
We are working towards uniting the Palestinians in order to reach a common agreement and a national strategy based on popular resistance. We want to create an operational leadership. The activists who are involved in the uprising are not only in Jerusalem, but in the West Bank and Gaza as well – all the occupied territories.
SE: You talk about creating an operational leadership, which means Fatah and Hamas will need to come together in order to agree on a common vision. We understand that Hamas and some of the Palestinian factions will be meeting in Beirut next week to discuss the current situation on the ground in the occupied territories, but Fatah has not agreed to join these discussions. How will an operational leadership be created without getting Fatah around the table?
KM: We have no choice but to unite. It is not only about meeting in Beirut, which some of the Palestinian factions will do next week, but we need to meet as a collective with Fatah on an ongoing basis in a variety of locations. The situation requires continuous meeting and co-operation between all the parties, and this is what we intend to do.
SE: The Israelis seem intent on dividing the Al Aqsa mosque compound, given the statements made recently by various government ministers. It seems that the Israelis may want to divide Al Aqsa the same way they divided the Hebron mosque, so that Jews will have equal access. There are also strong voices on the Israeli right calling for the destruction of Al Aqsa in order to rebuild the Temple Mount. If the Israelis try to divide the Al Aqsa compound, what would Hamas do, what would your strategy be?
KM: Very simply put – we won’t allow it. We will not allow the Israelis to divide Al Aqsa. Netanyahu is playing with fire, and if he even tried to do that it would explode the whole region.
Al Aqsa is at the top of our agenda, it is something that unites the Arab world.
If Al Aqsa is touched, Israel will pay the price. I speak with confidence that we will prevent any division of Al Aqsa.
SE: How will the Palestinians fight back?
KM: The Palestinians have a long experience in the struggle against Israeli occupation. When our people were denied the opportunity to get arms, they manufactured them.
When the Israelis closed the crossings into Gaza in order to prevent the people from receiving much-needed supplies, they dug tunnels. The people are creative and courageous. Their will to live is more powerful than the occupation.
SE: When will Hamas open an office in South Africa now that the ANC has come out in support of Hamas opening a representative office?
KM: We would be happy to open an office in South Africa as soon as possible.
SE: This is your first official visit to South Africa. What is your message to South Africans?
KM: My message to South Africans is to strengthen their solidarity with the Palestinian struggle.