Global March exposes apartheid nature of Israel
International rights activists from all over the world have gathered in the Lebanese capital, Beirut for the Global March to al-Quds (Jerusalem) to commemorate the Palestinian Land Day on March 30.
The Global March to al-Quds is an international peaceful movement, which also condemns the Israeli occupation of the holy Palestinian city.
Reports say Israel has already warned Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian Authority against giving permission for the pro-Palestine demonstrations.
Press TV has conducted an interview with Rami Zouraik, from the Global March to Jerusalem, to share his opinion on this issue.
The following is a transcript of the interview:
Press TV: First of all, tell us about the activity that you are engaged in, where are you coming from and what is the mission that you are following?
Zouraik: Well the Global March in Jerusalem as its name indicates is a global activity. It was born on nearly a year ago from the mind and the impetus of a number of international activists and of Palestinians who have gotten together and decided that enough is enough and that what is going on in Jerusalem, what continues to go on in Palestine every day, every single day is in blatant dismissal of the simplest human rights of a whole population and that something had to be done.
And this Global March which brings together over a hundred nations in the countries themselves and in the countries surrounding Palestine and in Palestine, brings hundreds of thousands of participants across the world to protest the Zionist actions in Jerusalem and in the whole of occupied Palestine.
Press TV: Basically we are hearing that the rally is going to take place near Lebanon’s southern border, now is that correct and there has been a lot of concerns voiced by the Israeli side, they have been warning against such rally to take place, so what types of reactions are you expecting from the Israeli side?
Zouraik: So I mean in the answer, there are three points in the question you have posed. One of them is whether this is taking place in south of Lebanon and indeed it is taking place in the south of Lebanon.
The south of Lebanon has tremendous symbolic significance. One of its significances is that it is of course with the borders of occupied Palestine. The other is that it is the land of the resistance, and a land that has fought and continues to fight the Zionist occupier everywhere.
The third thing was about what you called the worries of the Zionist regime. Well if I were the Zionist regime I would be extremely worried. What is going on today in the whole world contributes to the dichotomization finally and to exposing what exactly the truth and the true nature of this colonial apartheid regime [is] and when the Zionist regime is in fear which it rightly has to be, it resorts to threats and menaces.
Let me just also make it very clear that this is non-violent activity. It has been declared since they won. I continue to declare it here in the name of all the Global March committees and the people who are participating in that.
In this region any violence has continuously come from the Zionist regime.
Press TV: Right and Mr. Zouraik, just before we leave you, if you could also briefly tell us about your view on what response the Israeli and Palestinian issue has gotten from the international community?
There are of course a lot of humanitarian activities taking place, this Global March that you are involved in but what are your expectations from the rights of the United Nations that can make decisions on issues like the Palestinian issue?
Zouraik: We are drifting a little bit from the Global March to Jerusalem in here. You are asking me my opinion about the United Nations and I cannot talk in the name of the Global March in here.
Well I mean I can talk about my own opinion and I think as long as the United Nations continues to be under the very strong influence of the United States, we are not going to see any justice except extremely selected justice towards certain causes that please the United States and its political program.
But I repeat this is my own opinion and not that of the executive or of the Global March to Jerusalem. I do not see that the United Nation is capable at this time to give or provide the minimum political needs and justice to the Palestinian people.
Reports say Israel has already warned Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian Authority against giving permission for the pro-Palestine demonstrations.
Press TV has conducted an interview with Rami Zouraik, from the Global March to Jerusalem, to share his opinion on this issue.
The following is a transcript of the interview:
Press TV: First of all, tell us about the activity that you are engaged in, where are you coming from and what is the mission that you are following?
Zouraik: Well the Global March in Jerusalem as its name indicates is a global activity. It was born on nearly a year ago from the mind and the impetus of a number of international activists and of Palestinians who have gotten together and decided that enough is enough and that what is going on in Jerusalem, what continues to go on in Palestine every day, every single day is in blatant dismissal of the simplest human rights of a whole population and that something had to be done.
And this Global March which brings together over a hundred nations in the countries themselves and in the countries surrounding Palestine and in Palestine, brings hundreds of thousands of participants across the world to protest the Zionist actions in Jerusalem and in the whole of occupied Palestine.
Press TV: Basically we are hearing that the rally is going to take place near Lebanon’s southern border, now is that correct and there has been a lot of concerns voiced by the Israeli side, they have been warning against such rally to take place, so what types of reactions are you expecting from the Israeli side?
Zouraik: So I mean in the answer, there are three points in the question you have posed. One of them is whether this is taking place in south of Lebanon and indeed it is taking place in the south of Lebanon.
The south of Lebanon has tremendous symbolic significance. One of its significances is that it is of course with the borders of occupied Palestine. The other is that it is the land of the resistance, and a land that has fought and continues to fight the Zionist occupier everywhere.
The third thing was about what you called the worries of the Zionist regime. Well if I were the Zionist regime I would be extremely worried. What is going on today in the whole world contributes to the dichotomization finally and to exposing what exactly the truth and the true nature of this colonial apartheid regime [is] and when the Zionist regime is in fear which it rightly has to be, it resorts to threats and menaces.
Let me just also make it very clear that this is non-violent activity. It has been declared since they won. I continue to declare it here in the name of all the Global March committees and the people who are participating in that.
In this region any violence has continuously come from the Zionist regime.
Press TV: Right and Mr. Zouraik, just before we leave you, if you could also briefly tell us about your view on what response the Israeli and Palestinian issue has gotten from the international community?
There are of course a lot of humanitarian activities taking place, this Global March that you are involved in but what are your expectations from the rights of the United Nations that can make decisions on issues like the Palestinian issue?
Zouraik: We are drifting a little bit from the Global March to Jerusalem in here. You are asking me my opinion about the United Nations and I cannot talk in the name of the Global March in here.
Well I mean I can talk about my own opinion and I think as long as the United Nations continues to be under the very strong influence of the United States, we are not going to see any justice except extremely selected justice towards certain causes that please the United States and its political program.
But I repeat this is my own opinion and not that of the executive or of the Global March to Jerusalem. I do not see that the United Nation is capable at this time to give or provide the minimum political needs and justice to the Palestinian people.
