European countries are on the side of the United States on the issue of the Israeli occupation of -- and attacks on -- Palestine, says a political expert.
“There is no doubt that the British, the French, [and] the Germans are very firmly on the American side and the Israeli side. And that is why even now, as Gaza is under blockade, there is no serious move to remove that blockade.” In December 2008, the Israelis launched an attack on Gaza that took the lives of more than 1,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians, in the populated coastal strip and left thousands more injured. The assault also inflicted over $1.6 billion in damages on the territory's economy.
“The US government and the Europeans know exactly what is going on -- how the children of Gaza continue to suffer today. You have ... 11,000 Palestinians in Israeli jails, including children, which is extraordinary that Western European countries, the Western media, the American government are completely silent on these issues.
Despite international condemnation, Israel is proceeding with the construction of settlements in the occupied territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds, having so far demolished 995 Palestinian homes and displaced 5,783 individuals, among them 3,109 children, since the start of the year, 2000.
“No matter how hard the Palestinian government or the Palestinian people work to put their points across to the Western public, it is simply not going to get them very far. As I pointed out earlier, though, the international community and world public opinion is firmly on the side of the Palestinians,” Marandi concluded. Full Story
