Dr Ramzy Baroud on Labour’s stance on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict
The Palestinian author spoke in Hamilton recently about the Middle East conflict as well as insisting on the need to focus on the refugees’ stories.
The New Zealand Labour Government needs to take a more assertive stance against the United States’ intervention in the Middle East, says an internationally well-known Palestinian author.
Dr Ramzy Baroud spoke in Hamilton this week about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and commented on the recent US Embassy move to Jerusalem and Labour’s stance on the issue.
“The real face of the US and their foreign policy is now clearer and is forcing everyone to take a stance,” says Baroud.
“The NZ government needs to take a clearer and self-asserted political stance on the issue, they need to take some sort of action and we shouldn’t expect anything less of them,” says Baroud.
Baroud is currently on a world tour after the release of his latest book, The Last Earth: A Palestinian story, that follows the modern-day narratives of today’s Palestinian refugees.
Roger Fowler from the NZ Palestine Solidarity Network has been accompanying Baroud around New Zealand and says the turnout of more than a 100 people at Hamilton’s talk exceeded all expectations.
“The response is a clear indicator that people here have a genuine desire to find out more about the Palestinian story and it also indicates that we might be approaching a turning point,” says Fowler.
While it might seem the author is on a promotional book tour, Baroud said he was here to convey the need to put politics aside and turn the focus to the refugees. Only once this was done would people fully understand the conflict.
Baroud says it is time to reclaim the centrality of the Palestinian narrative in efforts to step closer to peace and a solution. That solution, Baroud hoped, would be a one-state outcome which included both Israelis and Palestinians co-existing peacefully.
“There is a need to put the Palestinian refugees’ narratives at the heart of the conflict and I am using my book to promote this idea, I say it’s time to change the priorities of the conversation,” says Baroud
The conflict began in the 20th century and since then approximately 80 per cent of Palestinian land has been annexed by Israel and more than five million Palestinians now live in refugee camps.
“We are a nation that has no intention of ever being defeated by the Israelis and we won’t give up, we will never stop fighting for our freedom,” says Baroud.
The next stops for Baroud are Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin.
