THE Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has categorically rejected UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who labelled and condemned the revolutionary resistance of the Palestinian people against the Israeli regime as ‘violence’, saying what takes place in the Palestinian territories is the right to self-defence against the ‘occupying entity’, that is attacking the Palestinians for every minute of every day.
Hamas made its statement on Thursday after Guterres said at a press conference that he does not think that using ‘violence’ is the way for the Palestinian people to defend their interests.
In reply, Hamas stated: ‘Hamas confirms that such a misnomer is not compatible with a genuine human right – i.e. the right to self-defence against the aggression inflicted by an occupying entity.’
It added that: ‘This right to self-defence is a legitimate right in consonance with international laws and norms.’
Hamas confirmed that the Palestinian people will never give up such a right and will continue to fight the Israeli occupation and its Judaisation schemes until they liberate their homeland and establish the State of Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital.
The Palestinian resistance movement said the terms ‘violence’ and ‘terrorism’ apply exclusively to the Israeli occupation and the fascist judiciary, the military and the colonial settlers, who bear full responsibility for escalating the situation, disrupting the lives of the Palestinian people and denying them their national rights.
Hamas also called on Guterres and the UN to endorse the Palestinian people’s rights and their just cause by condemning the Israeli occupation and its continued aggression, and holding its leaders responsible for their crimes and racist policies to try to prevent the Palestinians from exercising their rights to freedom and independence in their homeland.
It pointed out that Israeli forces launch raids on various cities of the occupied West Bank on an almost daily basis under the pretext of detaining what the regime calls ‘wanted’ Palestinians. The raids usually lead to violent confrontations with residents.
The number of administrative Palestinian detainees stands at 1,264, and more than 200 Palestinians have been killed this year in the occupied territories and Gaza.
This figure makes 2023 the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since the United Nations began keeping track of fatalities in 2005.
Previously, 2022 was the deadliest year with 150 Palestinians killed, of whom 33 were minors, according to the United Nations.
The Palestinian cause is supported by the working people of the world.
The British TUC last week carried its own resolution on Palestine. Congress resolved to reaffirm support for Palestinian rights, including the commitment to ‘boycott the goods of companies who profit form illegal settle-ments, the Occupation and the Construction of the Wall’.
It added its ‘Support for the Right to Boycott Coalition’.
The British trade unions have tremendous power but the TUC Congress did not even consider using that power in support of Palestine.
The UK trade unions cannot just stand idly by and watch Palestinians being massacred on a daily basis, as the Israeli regime continues its turn to adopting fascist methods and mass murder.
Trade unions must now take up the struggle for Palestine and fight for its victory. This mean all trade unions demanding that the TUC calls a general strike in support of Palestine and blocks all Israeli exports to the UK and the exporting of UK weapons to Israel.
This also means the trade unions collecting funds to support the arming of the Palestinian people so that they have the power to win the military and political struggle for Palestine
As the Zionist movement splinters and Israeli workers refuse to fight for the Netanyahu regime, the TUC must put all its weight into the Palestinian struggle, for the victory of Palestine.
History has presented us with a massive opportunity to establish the State of Palestine. British workers must insist that the TUC call a general strike for Palestine and starts a fund to arm the Palestinian people to ensure their victory!
