Jennifer Loewenstein: Gantz Has Palestinian Blood on His Hands

TEHRAN (FNA)- Jennifer Loewenstein, journalist and political activist, says Gantz’s policy towards Palestinians is as brutal as Netanyahu’s, making the outcome of the recent Israeli elections tragic; no matter who will come to form the cabinet.

In an exclusive interview with FNA, Loewenstein said, “The status quo will persist; Israeli expansionism will continue unabated… in the election campaigns, Gantz and Netanyahu had to out-do each other in their murderous rhetoric toward Gaza.”

“The Palestinians can expect to see more of the same - packaged less brazenly perhaps, but in this respect even more hypocritical and depraved”, she added.

Jennifer Loewenstein is a journalist and political activist. Her works have appeared in academic journals such as The Journal of Palestine Studies. Also, she is a regular contributor to Media including Press TV and CounterPunch magazine.

Below is the full text of the interview:

Q: What do Israel's latest elections mean for the Palestinians in the West bank, and the Gaza Strip?

A: The latest election means very little for the Palestinians and, chances are, they recognized this more quickly and clearly than anyone else. Gantz is no “moderate”. He has Palestinian blood on his hands (see Operation Protective Edge if you have any doubts about this.) Like most other Israeli leaders, Gantz considers Jewish Israelis superior beings compared to Palestinians. He probably is not even conscious of such beliefs, so entrenched is the notion of Jewish supremacy in the land of Israel - and among political establishments in the US and Europe. The Palestinians can expect to see more of the same - packaged less brazenly perhaps, but in this respect even more hypocritical and depraved.

Q: Do you think Palestinians have any chance to expect an improvement in their aggravating conditions as a result of Israeli election outcomes?

A: The status quo will persist; Israeli expansionism will continue unabated. There may be a few more meetings and ‘negotiations’. There may even be more token ‘concessions’ or meetings with Abbas. These will be distractions, however; tokens of ‘good will’ intended to hide the more serious policy measures. Beyond them, Israeli expansionist goals will continue as ruthlessly as ever, including in Jerusalem.

Some readers will remember how, early in the election campaigns, Gantz and Netanyahu had to out-do each other in their murderous rhetoric toward Gaza. What is tragic is that such rhetoric is based on actual policies and actions taken against Gaza, in particular; policies that are brutal and criminal - and that continue the systematic strangulation of the Gaza Strip and its nearly two million people.

Q: How will the elections affect the destiny of the occupied Palestinian lands?

A: I believe the two state solution is dead. Israel has, in fact, been one state for many decades. What is known (perversely) as “Israel proper” is governed by quasi-democratic laws (for Jews only); the Occupied West Bank, is governed by a sadistic, expansionist Israeli military administration despite what exists on paper - Areas ‘A’, ‘B’, and ‘C’. These divisions are for popular consumption only. In fact, they are regions within the West Bank beholden to the same Israeli military and political authority that controls area ‘C’.

Area ‘A’ is the biggest lie of all: it is a small sub-set of the West Bank ostensibly ruled by the Palestinian Authority. But the PA is ultimately answerable to Israel. Its security apparatus exists only insofar as it assures Israel that its Palestinian population does as it's told. Were the PA security forces not ultimately doing the IDF’s bidding, they would be disbanded overnight.

Gaza is a separate story; one that deserves far more detail and attention. Suffice to say, for now, that it is - in every sense of the word - a concentration camp. What is happening there beggars belief. If there is a way of annihilating people in life rather than in death, it is taking place in Gaza.

One day people will look back at what the US has overseen and Israel has carried out towards the Palestinians in Gaza with a horror and revulsion that will only further blight the terrible history of Israel’s destruction of Palestine.