Palestinian Politician on the Drastic Situation in Gaza

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, HOST: You are also a doctor. So, I first want to ask you what you’re feeling and what you would do and what you know about what’s going on in terms of the medical situation and the health situation inside Gaza right now.

MUSTAFA BARGHOUTI, GENERAL SECRETARY, PALESTINIAN NATIONAL INITIATIVE: I’m in touch with our colleagues. We have a big operation there with the health organizations, and I’m sorry to say that what Gaza is exposed to now is nothing but three war crimes committed by Israel. The first one is siege and collective punishment, which is a war crime by international law. The second one is genocide through this terrible air bombardment, nonstop of civilian population. And the third one is ethnic cleansing, which already started in the north and they’re planning to continue it towards Egypt. Regarding the health situation, the situation is drastic. Hospitals and health services do not have water, do not have medications. The necessary medicines. They don’t have electricity. There is a scarcity of all resources. We have children in incubators who could die at any moment because of lack of electricity and lack off oxygen, by the way. We have women, 50,000 women in Gaza at the moment are pregnant, and 5,500 of them would be giving birth this month. We already have cases of women who had to give birth in streets because they have no home to be in after Israel destroyed 70,000 homes already in Gaza. There is a very big problem with the patients who need kidney dialysis, and many of them will die, including 130 children, because they cannot have access to kidney dialysis. We have we have a very serious possibility of epidemics in Gaza for two reasons. First of all, the destruction of water pipes, as well as sewage systems. And the second one is the absence of any vaccination program during all the last two weeks.

AMANPOUR: Mustafa, can I ask you a question?

BARGHOUTI: So, it’s very drastic situation.

AMANPOUR: Yes. It is drastic, so does the U.N. say the same. Both sides are accusing each other of war crimes. I want to know your reaction to people like Yair Lapid and others who say it is on Hamas’ head. This round is on Hamas’ head. They massacred 1,400 people, took 199, including babies hostage. And they are bringing this hell down on their people as well. What — and it does seem to be there’s a perpetual fight between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority and I guess people like your party as well about who should properly run Palestinian affairs. Do you not ascribe any blame to them as well?

BARGHOUTI: Look, it’s not unusual for Israelis to claim that Palestinians are responsible for killing Palestinians when they are bombarding them. And I am so surprised about what Lapid said, because he’s supposed to be an opposition leader, but I don’t see any difference between him and Netanyahu. I think, I’m sorry to say, that he’s competing with Netanyahu and telling lies, like saying that they warned Palestinians before bombarding them. This is not happening anymore. They are bombarding people without them knowing. And even — I mean, what gives you the right to destroy 70,000 houses over people’s heads and claim that this is against Hamas? This is an attack not on Hamas. It’s an attack against 2.3 million people in Gaza who are besieged. He said something important. He said, not again. And I’m going to give him a prescription of how not to have anything again so that no Palestinian on Israel will be killed. End occupation. End the system of apartheid. Stop this occupation that has been there for 56 years. You have done 10 wars already on Palestinians during this period of time. How many more wars you want? Is the solution of occupation to reoccupy Gaza again? I am sure the Israeli plan is not only to evict and ethnically cleanse Gaza completely, but — and reoccupy it. But also, to annex it to Israel. This is the map that Netanyahu showed in the United Nations, a map of Israel that includes the annexation of West Bank, annexation of Gaza Strip and annexation of Jerusalem. These people are conducting war crimes now, and this is not good for Palestinians and Israelis. And let me say, Hamas did not exist 40 years ago, but stop them from having from ending occupation. Why they did not — they speak about Abbas coming back to Gaza now? Why they — Mr. Lapid and his government refused even to meet with Mr. Abbas? Why did they block all kinds of negotiations with Palestinians? Why did they block all the peace processes? Nobody can hide the truth. And the truth today is three war crimes are happening in Gaza and this we should be stopped. And I am so surprised, so surprised that the United States is sending 2,000 troops to participate, not only in being complicit with these war crimes, but to participate in them.

AMANPOUR: The United States has said — Mustafa, the United States has not said that it’s getting involved.