The comments came after Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip held a rally in solidarity with thousands of Palestinian prisoners held behind Israeli bars calling for their release.
An interview with Paul Sheldon Foote, Professor at the California State University, to further discuss the issue.
Q: Another solidarity rally being held in the Gaza Strip. How much can these rallies bring both Hamas and Fatah together and make them more united?
Foote: The rallies should be helping. The problem has been that the Fatah side has been very politically apathetic about what should happen in Gaza to say it politely. They thought it could not happen and then now they are seeing it happening to them.
Also we have more and more prisoners going in, family visits have been cut off or re-initiated, all of Gaza can be considered a prison, why not all of the rest of Palestine and why not the rest of the world? The concerns should be everywhere. We have Guantanamo; we have detention and rendition programs around the world. Everyone should stop being apathetic.
Pastor Martin Niemoller, …Nazi Germany who has spent many years in a concentration camp because of his apathy and he is famous for the statements that first it came for the communists, then Jews and others and then finally it came for me and no one would speak for me.
If people do not understand that, then they will repeat the terrible events.
Q: How much does the new status granted to Palestine at the United Nations can help it to sue Israel and get back its rights?
Foote: Well Israelis are concerned enough. They are afraid that criminal cases can now be taken to the world court. Israel fought tooth and nail against this so they think it is important if not important under the current Abbas leadership, the…of the Palestinians but when Palestinians get a real leader it can be very important for them too.
