‘The US and West must stop their misadventures in the Middle East’

Adel Al Asoomi, president of the Arab Parliament, the legislative body of the Arab League, speaks to Ramisa Rob of The Daily Star in an interview about Israel-Palestine and the turbulent situation in the Middle East.

Can you briefly describe the role of the Arab Parliament in the Middle East?

The Arab Parliament represents Arab parliamentary diplomacy and countries which represent 400 million Arabs. It adopts Arab issues in international forums and meetings with the objective of defending these issues against interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries. The parliament works with other international and regional blocs to support issues pertaining to Arab states, so that the issues of the 22 countries are always presented in international forums.

Can you describe how the Arab Parliament supports the Palestinians in this current genocide?

The Arab Parliament condemns this genocide, which is taking the lives of children, women, the elderly and civilians. We have moved at the international level with national and regional parliaments and international bodies, and we have a complete file to support the Palestinian cause. Among the important steps we have taken is filing a complaint in the name of the Arab people to the International Criminal Court against Israel and its officials for the massacres they are committing against children, the elderly, and women; Israel preventing aid, food, and medicine from reaching to the Palestinian people; and the unfathomable genocide committed by the Israeli occupation forces.

The parliament recently rejected the position aimed at displacing the Palestinian population from Gaza. So, what can Arab countries do to protect the people in Gaza?

Arab countries have the ability to influence, with the necessary power, to support Palestinians. And we in the Arab Parliament demand that there will be one unified Arab position to support them and prevent the plan to displace Palestinians to other countries. We hope that the Arab countries will have one clear position to support the Palestinian cause and stop this brutal aggression.

Can the Arab Parliament, as a legislative body, play the role of mediator with Israel?

Of course not. We in the parliament do not have any contact with the Israeli apartheid state. We will not engage in any direct dialogue with any Israeli party. We hope that the major powers, led by the US, will reach a permanent ceasefire and prevent this brutal aggression, to protect the innocent people who are killed on a daily basis, and to prevent this war from expanding to other countries in the Middle East, along with its impact on neighbouring countries.

How do you view the actions of the United Nations and its role during this genocide?

The actions of the United Nations, unfortunately and evidently, have not been sufficient to protect Palestinians.

All international decisions proposed have not been implemented. In my view, the war on Gaza demonstrated the weakness of the United Nations to play any role to halt the war, establish a ceasefire, or protect civilians.

How do you see the United States' approach to the situation in Palestine?

Unfortunately, the United States has a sad and negative position, and it has contributed to the expansion of the aggression by sizing up the Israeli side. The US foreign policy and diplomacy is increasingly falling short of avoiding escalation of the crisis in neighbouring countries in the Middle East. We hoped that the US position would be to protect human rights. Instead, it has called for vetoes and seems to be enabling further aggression and spillovers in the region. The Gaza crisis cracked open the West's pandora box, starkly exposing the hypocrisy of the "human rights" rhetoric while supporting and encouraging the barbaric—there's no other word for it—killing of Palestinians. The international community must confront the US regarding its role in enabling Israel.

What do you see in the future for the Middle East?

The Middle East is on the verge of a very dangerous and unpredictable turn. So, the US and other Western countries that helped this aggression must recalculate and rearrange their affairs in order to protect the region in general from any serious deterioration that might lead to deadlier conflicts.

Until that happens, unfortunately, the region will enter a new phase of violence due to the Israeli aggression. Even other nations in the region which had relations with Israel are now quietly pulling back because they're scared. Regarding Arab normalisation ties with Israel, every country has the freedom to pursue its interests, but Israel's viciousness has distanced everyone from pursuing peace deals as such.

Is the two-state solution in the interest of the Palestinians and the Arab countries?

Let's be clear: the two-state solution is in the interest of the Israeli occupation state, because Palestinians are the rightful owners of the land. Giving 78 percent of the land to the aggressors and 22 percent to the right holders is not in the interest of Palestinians. Yet, Israel will not even come to that compromise. It's been very clear to us that many Israeli leaders openly support the killing of Palestinians, feel an unwarranted right to the land, and view aggression to be the only way forward. It's very disturbing.

As the genocide in Gaza drags on, can Netanyahu achieve his goal of destroying Hamas?

It is impossible and cannot be achieved, and he has failed to accomplish this in the past few months of deadly attacks. Netanyahu is fighting for a delusional belief that he can purge Palestinians from their homes and grab their land. He clearly has shortcomings in understanding political science and evaluating the Palestinian resistance. He has done nothing to show he is eliminating Hamas as well. Rather, he has "eliminated" thousands of children. We clearly see that Israel has the ability to target Hamas with their inventory of deadly weapons. But those have been used to kill civilians who don't pose any threat to Israel.

What is your message to the world regarding Palestine and the turbulence in the Middle East?

Many world leaders have lost the plot, with attention to political motives and agendas overtaking the need for a humanitarian solution. The world must now commit to one goal: protect the Palestinians and their rights to life and prevent this brutal aggression that contradicts all international laws and norms. The people whose governments continue to support the Israeli occupation forces must continue to put pressure to change their nations' positions. The support is continuously encouraging Netanyahu and others like him to commit massacres. We must not get confused by all the political ploys happening right now in many parts of the Middle East. Stopping Israel is the only way to stop the situation from taking a deadlier turn. There's no other way, and we all know it. It's time the West stopped its misadventures and adopted the only solution they know can put an end to this crisis.