now is really forces are still hidden hospitals killing them as well as medical staff the same happens at un schools like honor was school that was just blown up and refugee cam where large numbers of internal displaced palestinians have taken shelter. hell on earth, graveyard for children, catastrophic and similar agonizing words are used by international humanitarian organizations to describe the situation in gaza. meanwile people around the world are crying out loud, asking for an end to the israely genocide while blaming the united states for the place. welcome to the spotlight. i'm your host najafi, and these are guests in this episode.

independent journalist out of damascus, good to see you both, welcome to now, scott, beginning with you, you might know 8% of the gaz population and displace based on official reports and they are urgently in need of food and water just to survive. so aid is not reaching them properly with all the restrictions regime, who should pay the price of this collective punishment? well israel should pay price and the united states should pay the price, mean the bottom line is israel implementing this policy and the united states is the nation filitating this policy, let's sure israel could not do what it's doing um without the support of the united states, the international community is quite unified in demanding. of hostilities and the

immediate implementation of massive humanitarian assistance program for the palestinians in gaza and then for negotiated uh settlement that uh gives palestinian people what they have deserved for the past 75 plus years that is a homeland of their own uh israel doesn't want this uh this is the whole reason why this fight is taking place hamas didn't act on october 7th um in a vacuum uh "it was the manifestation of 75 years of israeli occupation, israeli a colonial administration, a parthide governance, it where the palestinians literally had no hope for better future, and uh's action uh shook free the rust that had corroded the the peace process and uh this is what israel fears, especially israel uh governed by benjamin netanyahu's far right-wing coalition, they have said they don't want a palestinian homeland, they want a greater israel, biblical..." that has no

palestinian presence, this is fantasy void of reality, but israel is willing to pursue this objective and the kill as many palestinians in the process. right, venissa, it's not only that they want palestinian homeland, that's true, but to that they didn't want any palestinians either, i mean as human beings, remember all those calling names, calling them animals and all that, and then we have some palestinians who were just recently freed in this swap thing that happened recently, and they recount... what they went through quality custody the mostly complain about those humiliating tortures that they suffered more than the physical ones. so i want to ask you where this kind of mentality and mindset eminate from and this feeling that some israel is uh they feel superior to palesti? well mean ever since the the british in reality uh supported and incubated design colonialist settler project this entity has

been adapted, if you look at what has happened since 1947 going to the nackbar, scroll mention, this hasn't been going on for you, since october the 7th, it's been going on actually since before 1948, there were already massicers being carried out against palestinians in order to disposses them of their land and their homes and their dignity way before 1947 when the un carved up palestine and gave. than 50% to to to the zionist project before the us sorry before the uk basically pretty much handed it over to the ys and later years to manage it and so we see mean we saw the recent pictures of civilians children women that were basically taken out refugee centers and places where they were taking shelter they were stripped naked and people have made in in my opinion a very justified uh comparison to the nazis and

the way that the the zionists are treating palestinians, it's complete humiliation, it's massacre of children, what is it now, around 700 children? i mean even saying that number is unimaginable. we we get almost you to this this creeping up these numbers a daily basis, we're flooded with images of children that have limbs missing, heads missing, the burned, that are injured beyond belief, that have lost their entire family, and yet we see absolutely no compassion either from the zien regime or from its supporters. when when the... un representative from the us literally veto peace, that is the depth to which we've descended right now, the us is basically veto peace, it's extraordinary, right? and ukrainian president is visiting

the us now as in washington is there to beg for of course more money and russia, why shouldn't the the us treat palestinians by the same token? because we don't care about the palestinians, the palestinians don't add anything to the uh national security um framework of the united states. uh, we've um, look, the moment we got involved in uh this arab israeli peace process dating back to henry kissinger, uh, the palestinians were inconvenient reality. um, richard nixon, the president of the united states at the time, had encouraged kissinger to seek a final solution, and that... horrible term, i come up with better one, a uh, a more lasting solution to the problem of israeli arab relations, and in particular, israel's relationship with the palestinians, but this, he chose to um, you make focus on egypt and and bettering relations between egypt and israel and the palestinian israelies to to

resolve, and that's been our posture ever since, we don't want to do anything that um, impeeds our relationship with israel, and the palestinian people are such an impediment because... "israel doesn't want a palestinian state, and if we were to actually pursue a palestinian state, it would put us at um, it odd with our your greatest regional ally, so this this notion that the united states cares about the palestine, i am sicking to my stock, every time i hear the president of the united states, the secretary of the united states, or any american official, talk about how their heart is breaking for the palestinian people, it is a lie, because if their heart was breaking for the palestinian people, they would do something. for palestiny people such as insist a ceire, but we veed that at the united nations, exactly, and uh, the us is still the same thing, it's constantly blocking all efforts of the un security council, as you now that aimed at stopping this carnage in gaza, so if the security is not the venue where countries

could come up with these ideas to stop something like this is what they saged has happened in gaza, where should the be able to do this, which international body? well, i think... an important point to make, not only is the us feeling the bombs and the weapons that are being used to carry out the genocide against palestinians, not only in gaza but also in west bank, which is being largely ignored, of course, that's a quiet genocide and cleansing that's ongoing with your support um, while the the more overt massacre of palestinians in gaza is ongoing, i think really what we are saying is the shift in the balance of power of course, and that is what is saying. um the us and its policy instrument in the middle east into a spin, which of course the emergence of breaks, the the the rised power of russia and china and their alliances in the region in particular, and i think the only other organization that

has any potential to broker any kind of media any kind of piece, and we seen president putin recently speaking to netanyahu visiting the uae and saudi arabia. etc. speaking to to hamas um officials and um i think until you know there is an alternative, i think that's really the only alternative that i can see that has any potential to broker any kind agreement and also to legitimize the palestinian resistance, of course what the us is doing is totally delegitimizing the palestinian resistance by nominating hamas a terrorist organization while in reality. is only one faction among the resistance movement, there's more than 17 factions in gaza alone, and then as i said before, hamas is not in west bank, there are multiple other resistant factions inside west bank, and they're not even all islamists, there are christian factions that are against the

zionist oppression, there are even socialist communist factions like the pflp that are against zinanist occupation, oppression and apartide, so you know at least the bricks organization or... or um uh complex is is legitimizing the resistance, which the west is simply not doing, and of course they are ready to start a war, on on the... west bank, they have been actually at war, but they are even eager to expand further and scott antonio tarish just admitted the united nations is unable to stop to do anything and to stop this butched in gaza. we had egypt, mauritania yesterday there, they were pushing to hold this general assembly meeting united nations now security council's even actually have failed thanks to the us of course the video there, so uh what can the un assembly meeting do, buse resolution uh that's been invoked 377. a) asks for collective efforts by number of countries, but it's non-binding.

it's it's non-binding, but understand this, it is the only forum outside of the security council that can authorize the use of military force. um, and frankly speaking, this is what has to happen. i'm i'm a promoter of peace, i believe in peace, but i'm not anti-war when a cause is just, and cause of the palestinian people is just. um, the the security council through this 377a resolution can say that israel must stop genocide against the palestinian people, that humanitarian aid must be brought in, and that israel opposes this, that the general assembly authorizes military force to be used. now, while this doesn't result in the security council chapter 7 resolution, it provides all the legality necessary for any nation around israel to use military force. to achieve the goals and objectives of the united nations, and so there is, there there

is something the and what this would represent is that the entire world has turned not only on israel but the united states, the world is sick tired of america stopping peace through its veto in the security council. venes, let's also have your take on this, this general assembly meeting united nations and what could do favor of palestinians? yeah, i mean, i think as scott said there is potential. "i think what is quite shocking for me as well is that there is absolutely no mandate for sanctions on israel, while we've seen for decades now the us has an agenda for regime change destabilization or resource scrab or occupation, illegal occupation of territories, particularly in the middle east, of course i'm here in syria which is effectively occupied by the united states from from the north to the south on the eastern border, right? um, "the immediate reaction from the us and the uk alliance and the eu is to play sanctions a target nation,

and yet despite the fact that there are multiple experts, including very early on, un experts very strong report, basic calling what israel is doing a genocide, de facto genocide, we haven't seen any effort from the un, the pressure um for sanctions on israel, i mean i'm not an expert in un or..." so i'm not quite sure how that would work, maybe spot illuminate, but you has there been no cause for sanctions on israel, that's a rhetorical question largely, of course. yeah, do you want to wait in on that? well, again, normally, such call would be made through the security council. the way the charter was envisioned is that security council would take its responsibilities seriously, but as we've seen in the case of israel, the united states will veto anything, everything that seeks to hold israel to account, so now we have this extraordinary. measure uh, and it is extraordinary, because what you're basically asking the general assembly to do

is acknowledge the failure of security council and to take matters in their own hands and normally the general assembly is not the body to do this, it would be split, generally speaking along political lines, reflect the security council, but here we have a situation where the entire world recognizes the genocides taking place, and so now the general assembly has the potential to pass a resolution that... can sanction israel, it's not binding, meaning it doesn't mean nations have to do this, but it provides the legitimate authority for nations to begin sanctioning israel, and if the general assembly wants to use military force against israel, right? uh, now this is a piece of advice from the israel defense minister to palestina resistance fighters, exactly quoting his word, surrender unconditionally or die, it's such mindset on the part of israeli officials, one of them saying, why did you do? what kind of war is this? just nuke them and just kill them all. so what do you see on the horizon for palestinians?

where is this uh, which direction is this move? well, mean i think militarily, i was actually discussing that here uh in syria today and be interesting again to get scott opinion, but people here who are following the military situation obviously very closely, because syria is is one of the closest allies to palestine uh and to hazballah in the northern occupied territories. the fact is that the the iof is is losing the bat inside gaza, it's basically burying itself in a, it's opened up various new entry points, both in the north and in the south. had to withdraw from uh various areas in the north today because of the intensity of the resistance attacks, once they enter gaza of course they're at the mercy of the that can ring around them, the not battle harden soldiers, they used to to bombing using artillery, mean i've been in gaza during the 2012 aggression, you're basically bombed from every single possible

direction, from the sea, from the air, from the land, from helicopters, from drones, that's what they used to, they're not. basically bomb as they have been doing, the bombing will have to be lot more discriminant and targeted, and the resistance then comes into its own, because it knows the territory, it's urban warfare, it it knows the tunnels, we've already seen multiple times up combat where the iof have been basically wiped out and the casualty figures, i think will be lot. than the 5 injured that that the israely media is putting out and the number of dead, so i think militarily, i think we've still got a lot to to come from the resistance, they've intimated that they've said that they've held back on their tactics on their strategy and they're ready, and the thing is we know from the fact that that is maintaining this low-grade pressure in the

north, syria is opening up its territory for resistance factions to fire, for example missiles that the occupied. 'dan territories um, but they're all trying to contain that escalation that the us and and israel as its property is is looking for, but ultimately we know that has or has already said they will enter the war more more more extensively when the palestinian resistance tell them they struggling, but so far they're struggling, yeah, of course not forget the yemenis, they're also stopping his'. for israel, yeah, hurt economy that now uh, scott, i'll ask you about washington's ultimate and of course cover agenda for palestine, will us come to terms with this reality that palestinians want to have their own country, their own state, they want to have israel go as their capital, they want to g themselves, well before the united states come to grips with that, we have to come to the grips with what

israel is going to look like, vanessa is 100% correct, israel lost this war, they can't win, i mean, no matter what they do, they can't win it. the israeli force is incapable of uh defeating hamas in god. um, the reason why they're asking for homomassus surrender is because they're desperate trying an end to this conflict, because they know that the the resistance is prevailing, not only that, if hezbulah enters the conflict from the north, israel will lose northern israel, they can't defend it. israely economy is collapsed, um, thousand, tens of thousands of people have been withdrawn from the north, "the economy is crippled by what the thehudi are doing. um, israel's going to be different, netnyahu time in office is finished, and the united states is going to have to come to grips with that israel is, what israel will be going forard, and then they can begin to craft the palestinian solution, but they for the united states, putting palestine ahead of israel,

putting the cart before the horse, we have to get israel reconfigured in a way that it will politically accept the..." held by palestinians, both expatriates and so that they can decide on the future should look like, your opinion, well absolutely, i mean the two solution. for me has been dead and water for a long time um and the one state manifesto is what pretty much all the united palestinian resistance factions agree on and the majority of of the countries that have been supporting palestinian resistance because of course what israel has done is to undermine any opportunity for two-state solution why since the 70s under arriron

they've basically been deliberately building the settlements to break up the west bank into um small partitioned cantons that can basically be separated and control and that of course is what we're now seeing, they're destroying the the bridges and and the road structures and the connecting root, while of course they're increasing the apartide wall and they're looking at encroaching only etc. so israel has no interest in in a in a two state solution, so for me you know an ideal world has be the dismantlement of... this project and it has to be a return basically to the 48 borders right um with uh the state of palestine and jews and christians and palestinians. living in peace as they did before britain incubated project all right, that's all the time we have for this show, let me thank my guest scott ritter, former human weapons inspector in iraq from

bethlehem, new york, venelly and journalists and damascus and thank you for watching this episode of new tribut up in your host b, see you next time. what?

yeah, human rights says the situation in gaza is extremely perharious and the territory is a burgeing well not break down. you all say

despite having all our support from the us, the regimes failed to achieve any its goals in its on. the lebanese resistance movement has number of israeli military targets and bases in treasure.