Quds Day A Chance to Counter Israel-US Propaganda Machine: Analyst

“The International Quds Day on May 31st is extremely important and should be streamed live on social media channels to create awareness, this is a chance to counter the Israeli-US propaganda machine and show the world the bitter reality,” Riaz Karim told Tasnim in an interview.

Dr. Riaz Karim holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University. He is also the Director of Veritas Centre for Strategic Studies in London. He is also an analyst and commentator for a number of media outlets around the world.

Following is the full text of the interview:

Tasnim: Israeli soldiers last Friday shot and wounded at least 16 unarmed Palestinian protesters, including a volunteer and medic, according to Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra. As you know, Palestinians have staged the weekly anti-Israeli protests dubbed the “Great March of Return” along the Gaza border for more than a year. According to media reports, more than 270 people, including 52 children, have been killed since the demonstrations began in March 2018. Most of the dead and the thousands wounded were unarmed civilians against whom Israel was using excessive force. What do you think about the Israeli regime’s crimes?

Karim: The Palestinian people face everything that goes against the grain of humanity. Israel has managed to commit crimes against humanity at every juncture when it comes to not only the Palestinians but orthodox Jews and everyone who is not a Zionist. This is possible only under the guardianship of the rich and powerful who are complicit in the murders of Palestinian protesters whether directly, indirectly or by association.

It shouldn't surprise anyone that Israel continues to dehumanize and degrade the Palestinians in order to bring them to their knees but if fifty years of oppression has not shaken the Palestinian resolve, Israel should realize that the coming generations are not going to be so forgiving. They should also realize that with these killings, destruction of Palestinian land and the atrocities continuing, Israel itself will also never see a day of peace.

The very reason Israel military kill and arrest underage children and teenagers is that they are terrified of what is yet to come and they have not been short in saying so, hence for the Palestinians keeping up the pressure becomes absolutely vital because regardless of the march, the killings have continued and will do so and for the Palestinian people, nothing short of freedom will be acceptable.

Tasnim: Khalil al-Hayya, a Hamas leader, recently said Palestinians have united to reject the so-called “deal of the century” plan initiated by the US government, saying there is a consensus among them to restore the Palestinians’ rights. He also said the Palestinian people are unified to boycott an upcoming US-Israeli conference in Bahrain. What is your opinion about the remarks and the upcoming conference in Manama? How do you predict the future developments? 

Karim: Defending the colonizer and making it look like the best thing since sliced bread is what the Israel-US propaganda machine is translating into the "Deal of the Century" the brainchild of Jared Kushner who sees himself as some kind of an expert in the Palestinian Issue, is really nothing more than a proposition to exchange freedom for money, another ploy to silence the Palestinian call for freedom.

Another thing the conference does is to serve as a tool to automatically trigger more atrocities against the Palestinian people, let me explain...

The public display to have this conference is so the world can see them as peacemakers and since the Palestinians have officially stated their position that they will boycott this conference, they are now going to be branded as the ones who do not want peace in the region thus giving the Zionist regime of Israel a free passport to commit atrocities citing the non-participation of the Palestinians as an automatic call for war. The mainstream media will carry this very story and it will be brought to fruition by the Israeli-US propaganda machine. The main question that remains to be asked is why do they even have this conference when the Palestinians, in whose name they are supposedly having it, have refused to participate? The answer will become very clear in the coming days!

Tasnim: As you know, on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan each year, Muslims and anti-Israeli activists hold worldwide demonstrations to express their solidarity with the Palestinian people and condemn the Israeli regime’s continued inhumane acts against the defenseless people. This year, Muslims around the world will mark the International Quds Day on May 31. What do you think about the importance of the day? Why has the international community, particularly the Western mainstream media, made a muted response to the Tel Aviv regime’s human rights violations against Palestinians so far?

Karim: Let us be clear about one thing. The mainstream media is controlled by the very people who are committing these crimes so the deafening silence from their part should not come as a surprise to anyone, this has been going on for years and it will continue to be so.

The International Quds Day on May 31st is extremely important and should be streamed live on social media channels to create awareness, this is a chance to counter the Israeli-US propaganda machine and show the world the bitter reality.

As I have said previously Israel is the epicenter of human rights violations and no amount of UN resolutions or pressure from the rest of the world will break their will to do what they need to do until they own 100% of the Palestinian land and the only way to counter this is to beat them at their own propaganda game which they have used so successfully over the years.

The ongoing atrocities on the Palestinian people are a stain on humanity that can never be expunged!