Adnan Abu Alhaija, 72, has seen many a war. This one is no different. A free Palestine may not happen in his lifetime, but he lives in hope, and is even not averse to the option of living with Israelis if there is peace. Edited excerpts from an interview:
Q Do you think Hamas’s attack on Israel is a turning point for the Middle East?
A I wish this war did not happen. We had war in 2021, too. If you do not find a solution to the Palestinian cause, if the Palestinian people do not get their rights, we will see many wars. There are heavy casualties on both sides, especially now that the Israelis are bombing everything. Mass destruction to the infrastructure, to the buildings, to the people.
Q The attack by Hamas was different from the earlier ones. How do you look at what happened on October 7?
A It is important to ask why that happened. Why have Israel's crimes in the West Bank for a few years gone without any accountability?
This year, and before October 9, the Israelis killed 260 people in the West Bank. On October 9, they killed 16 people in the West Bank. I'm not talking about the death toll in Gaza. Settlers are going everywhere defended by the Israeli occupied forces.
Q Israel has said that these are human animals, and has cut off gas, electricity, water and food. How long can Gaza survive?
A This is a war crime. To describe 2.2 million people as human animals, only the Nazis can say that, or a fascist.
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