Opinion Editorials, April 2009

 ccun.org, April 14, 2009

British MP Galloway: I am not a supporter of Hamas and Never Have Been

Indeed, it appears that–at least in certain sectors–persons of power and influence have had their fill of Israel’s murderous, genocidal behavior in the Middle East and are now speaking out against it, and loudly.

One such VIP is George Galloway, member of Great Britain’s Parliament and outspoken opponent of the incalculably-high number of outrages committed by the Jewish state since its inception in 1948.

In a recent interview with Dr. Hesham Tillawi on his weekly television program Current Issues, MP Galloway had some interesting (to say the least) comments concerning the latest holocaust in Gaza and what it means for the future. Having just taken part in the massive delivery of much-needed humanitarian goods to war-devastated area following the 22 day attack by Israel that left close to 8,000 either dead or wounded, Galloway’s message to Tillawi was quite clear–“Palestine is the key…It’s the heart of the matter, and unless it is resolved there will be no peace in the Middle East, and if there’s no peace in the Middle East there’ll be no peace in the world.” He went on to say that “the madness of terrorism and violence is spreading everywhere“ as a result of the “injustice that’s been done, not only in Palestine but also to other Muslim countries” as well as the “double standard” taken by the US and Great Britain with regards to “the law-breaking of Israel and its continued aggression and occupation“ of the Palestinian people.

Probably the most interesting and somewhat controversial of his statements however was when asked by Tillawi whether or not he was “taking sides” in the Palestinian internal conflict, Galloway’s response was as follows–“I am for success of the unity talks. I don’t mind telling you I am not a supporter of Hamas and never have been. I spent the best years of my life literally sitting by the side of the late and great President Arafat. If I had to vote for (Palestinian) president it would be for Marwan Barghouti (Fatah leader) banged up in an Israeli jail.”

When asked by Dr. Tillawi about his recent trip to Gaza and whether he was shocked at the destruction, Galloway’s answer was as follows–

“I was. I thought I was prepared for what I would see, as I’ve been active on the Palestinian scene for the last 35 years. I’ve seen many massacres. I’ve walked through the ruins of Sabra and Shatilla and Jenin. I was in Lebanon just 2 years ago after the bombardment of both southern Lebanon and the Dahyeh suburbs of Beirut, but Gaza was worse than all of those, and compounded by the siege, which means not a break can be fixed, not a window can be repaired and reconstruction cannot begin because of the siege and people are literally hungry because of it.”

When asked by his host if there was any benefit or likelihood of legislation being passed in the parliament rescinding the Balfour Declaration–truly the spark that has led to all the destruction and devastation in the last century, Galloway was pragmatic about it, saying it would only have “symbolic meaning” but that in any case “it couldn’t be done” as he was only “one man”, saying nevertheless it was the fact that it was the British and their “colonial past” responsible for the Palestinian tragedy“ that has caused him to dedicate himself to the cause of their suffering. He added that “There’s no way to roll back the video tape to 1917 and erase all that has happened since then. What we must do now is to live up to our historic responsibilities and atone for our original sin, and that’s where I spend a lot of time pressing the British government to do.”

When asked about the irony surrounding the decision by the Canadian government to refuse him entry (the result of pressure brought to bear by the Jewish Defense League, a group characterized by the US Government as a terrorist organization) following his delivery of food and medicine to the beleaguered people of Gaza, while on the very same day George Bush–personally responsible for killing over a million people with hundreds of tanks, bombs and missiles he delivered to Iraq–was given the red carpet treatment Galloway’s response was ”I really don’t know why the Canadian government seems determined to undo the good reputation of Canada, which was high in the world up until a few years ago. It was seen as the kindler, gentler country in North America. It was seen as a country that believed in peace rather than war and in peacekeeping rather than invasion, and yet over the last few years we’ve seen a reversal of that to where the Canadian government is now more royal than the king and more catholic than the pope and more so-called “anti-terrorist” than the United States, Patriot Act and all.”

Galloway concluded the interview saying “I am a supporter of the Palestinian people and their right to resist and the right to choose their own leaders. The reason Gaza is under siege is because they voted for a government that Britain, America and Israel don’t like. I don’t believe you can or should try to choose the representatives of other people. You have to accept the representatives they choose, and they chose a Hamas-led government. Nevertheless I hope a unity government can come about again, and soon, because this division amongst the Palestinians is disastrous for them and for those of us trying to help them from the outside.”

Current Issues, hosted by Palestinian American Hesham Tillawi PhD airs every Thursday evening at 9 pm eastern time. The program can be accessed at www.currentissues.tv. The video link of the archived interview with Hesham Tillawi and MP George Galloway can be found here.

Mark Glenn

Correspondent, American Free Press Newspaper

www.americanfreepress.net

nomorewarsforisrael@gmail.com