Dr. Zuhair Mohammad Hamdullah Zaid believes that the two states for the two people is the only solution for the people of Palestine.
His Excellency Dr. Zuhair Mohammad Hamdullah Zaid is the Ambassador of Palestine to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. He is a senior diplomat with wide ranging experience in diplomacy around the world. He has played a significant role in raising the Palestinian cause in Pakistan and regularly connects with media, policy and government stakeholders. Frontier Media had the opportunity to speak to the honorable ambassador Dr. Zuhair Zaid to interview on the current war, situation in Gaza, coping mechanisms and his vision of peace and statehood.
FactFile: Can you share what the current ongoing situation right now in Gaza is?
His Excellency Dr. Zuhair Mohammad Hamdullah Zaid: First of all, thank you for having me in your screen. The situation in Gaza is terrible. What’s going on is a genocide. More than 70,000 under rebel. The number of the injuries reach 150,000 injured people. It means that 10% from the Palestinians in Gaza Strip, which population is 2,000,000.3 had been injured or killed or under rebel. So the numbers is really terrible.
FactFile: Can you tell me how are the civilians coping with this current ongoing crisis and what are the most urgent needs on the ground right now?
H. E. Dr. Zuhair Zaid: It’s so difficult for a human being to have the ability to cope with any situation like this. They are under hard measurements that enforce them to deal with. At the end, their determination, their insistence to continue their life, to live as a Palestinian, this is what we had suffered a long history. But at the end, we are stick to our homeland. We are stick to our land and we want to continue living there in Gaza as a part of the Palestinian homeland, as a part of the Palestinian state.
FactFile: Can you speak on the role of United Nations? How effective have their resolutions been?
H. E. Dr. Zuhair Zaid: It’s from our side as Palestinians to be very, very keen and very clear. Frankly, we lost our trust for all those international organizations, for all those humanitarian conventions, humanitarian organizations. How to trust them or to trust anyone in this world when our people are daily suffering, daily losing their lives and no one has or do any practical steps. Those just decisions at the end, the Israelis and all their leaders were very clear saying to the whole world, including the Europeans, including the Americans, say whatever you want and we will do whatever we want.
FactFile: How do you see the role of non-governmental movements and civil society worldwide in supporting the Palestine cause? How do you see their role?
H. E. Dr. Zuhair Zaid: This in general, including also the United Nations organization, its agencies, and all the public associations, there is a reflection to the public opinion and this has affected positively what’s going on all around the world. This is why we are seeing many demonstrations around the world supporting the Palestinians rise and asking their governments to take action, to stop, for instance, supplying the Israelis military equipment, ammunition.
Just last night there was a demonstration in Yavon, a board refusing to cooperate and to shift military equipment in their board to the Israeli shipment. Those steps that really we need and inshallah they will have fruitful results as soon as possible and there is difference also from state to another state, especially in Europe, and to be very keen those states, especially Europe and the United States, they are responsible like the Israelis with their support, with their stance, they are part of this aggression against our people.
FactFile: What’s the long-term vision for peace and statehood for Palestinian leadership? What’s your vision?
H. E. Dr. Zuhair Zaid: Our vision is clear. Our vision is combined with the international law, with the international community decisions. What we agreed came also on this basis.
As Palestinians, still we are asking to have the solution of two states for two people, to have our state in the borders of 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital. So, we are asking for and we still believe that this can be done. Howsoever, if the international community put hand and support and do for such a solution. But with this situation where the Israelis are daily expanding and confiscating more and more land, creating more and more settlements, in Palestine this solution will be far and the struggle will continue and with such a situation there will be no peace, no security, no stability, not just in our region but in the whole world.
And I think what’s going on and what’s happened along these two years as a result of this war against the Palestinians show that this is the reality. Without solving the Palestinian issue nothing will happen in a positive way and the Israelis should be stopped. Moreover, they are too arrogant and they are doing whatever they want. Just yesterday they attacked Syria before they attacked Iran.
They also attacked many other countries, treating Lebanon and attacking in Lebanon. It’s the time to stop this state to be above the law. They should be held accountable and to apply on them the international law. This is very important.
Thank you very much and we wish you continued strength in your diplomatic efforts. Thank you.
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