We are sharing an interview with Dr. Issam Khawaja from the Palestinian diaspora in Jordan, Deputy Secretary General of the Jordanian Popular Unity Party, which represents the Palestinian diaspora left. Dr. Khawaja is a pediatrician with a specialization in Neurology and works in a public hospital, and is an active member of the Jordanian Medical Association Committees, and is also active in supporting health work in occupied Palestine.
New Democracy: The Palestinian Liberation Struggle, which has been going on for decades, has been continuing with determination for more than a year after the Aqsa Flood. How do you evaluate the current situation and the process?
Dr. Issam Khawaja: I consider this period as a new qualitative period of the Palestinian resistance, and the reason why I describe it as a qualitative period in terms of resistance is that this situation has new characteristics for the Palestinian people; it is the first time in it’s history that the Palestinian Resistance and the Palestinian people have been resisting on Palestinian land for such a long period of time. In previous periods, especially after 1967, the Palestinian armed struggle was able to carry out all its struggles around or on the periphery of Palestine. It could attack from Jordan, Lebanon and various other places, but today this resistance is taking place within the historical Palestinian geography. In this sense, the Palestinian Resistance is at a point where it is qualitatively moving forward. Apart from that, the resistance that stands against the Zionist presence in our region is different in terms of its representation. Of course, there was international solidarity in previous processes, but when we evaluate it regionally, there was no other resistance circle in the region until 1982.
In 1982, after the invasion of the occupation state from the south of Lebanon to Beirut, a broad Lebanese National Resistance was launched in Lebanon. The Lebanese National Resistance, which started in 1982 and then continued as the Lebanese Islamic Resistance, succeeded for the first time in 2000 in driving the occupier out of the occupied territory with weapons and the act of resistance, with its power. Of course, we finally saw October 7 as a reflection of the fact that this resistance, which has been going on in Palestine for decades, gained momentum in historical Palestine and has been going on for many years. We saw that this glorious move of the Aqsa Flood was made by the Palestinian Resistance, but after October 7, as of October 8, the axis of resistance immediately began to act and resist in the region in general, but especially the Lebanese Resistance in Lebanon, without interruption. As of October 8, the process started by the Lebanese Resistance then spread to Yemen and Iraq, where we saw the opening of supportive resistance fronts. Since then, we have seen the activation of the resistance in the Arab regions or countries as a whole. Of course, we can count this as an axis of resistance supported by Iran, but the countries that actually opened this resistance as a front were Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen. Aside from the fact that a new era has begun in Palestine with this qualitatively new momentum, what is qualitatively new in this region is that the axis of resistance and the fronts are not only in the position of supporting the Palestinian resistance, but as I have just mentioned, they now see their own resistance as a whole and in unity, as one fate, one resistance. In this sense, this resistance has created an important new qualitative leap against the imperialist interests of Zionism in this region.
New Democracy: While Zionist Israel has many opportunities in the war in relation with imperialism, the Palestinian Resistance continues the struggle with determination with limited opportunities. How do you evaluate this process in the context of the People’s War?
Dr. Issam Khawaja: Ultimately, the resistance is not and has never been in a position to achieve victory against imperialism and Zionism in the region in one military move. Not in this way, we need to see it as a long term war of fronts, a war of fields, and a final strategic victory that will lead to the exhaustion of the enemy over time, and that will progress by accumulating victories, small victories. Perhaps in our terminology, we can say that something similar to the long-lasting People’s War is happening in this region right now.
Of course there are differences; the fronts here are fought in different areas by different peoples, different cultures, in different ways, but qualitatively we can say that this is a long-term war that is slowly exhausting the enemy. In other words, it is possible to say and see that this qualitatively is not only a war in which the people are organized in some areas or committees are formed, but also in a dimension that goes beyond this and continues these war techniques to a level that is almost close to advanced armies; it is possible to say and see that it is in a dimension that carries it further by using missile systems and different techniques. When we look at the reason for this, the warlike nature of the Zionist entity on the other side has an effect. Especially when we look at the weapons support of the imperialist countries, the US support and all these imperialist countries, there is a very advanced ammunition, there is a very advanced weapons depot, so the resistance against this has necessarily developed the quality of carrying this People’s War towards the use of weapons with different methods, more professionally. In this sense, this resistance as a whole – today the Arab world or nation is not only the Arab nation, but also the regional and wider peoples, perhaps including the Islamic world – is against Zionist and imperialist aggression.
We see the resistance as the most important obstacle or the only obstacle to the implementation of the new Middle East projects that the US and the imperialist centers are trying to create in this region. Previously, the imperialist countries with their Zionist partners had taken the steps of the new Middle East projects here and in 2006 this project was stopped. Today, they are trying it again and again and they are trying to try it in every field. The reason for their attempts is, of course, that the US and the imperialist countries want to dominate this region, all its resources and peoples, but today we see that although this resistance may seem small in scale, in fact it is the resistance power that can stop the giant imperialist power.
Imperialism and Zionism are actually fighting a war of existence in this genocidal war and process. Because it knows that after October 7, it will either be in defeat or expand in the region. It will either establish domination over the region or suffer a great defeat in the face of the resistance. Therefore, the main reason for imperialism’s current brutalization is that it finds itself in a war of survival in this region. This is also true for Zionism. That is why they are attacking with this power. But of course, as peoples who defend their rights, who defend their right and will to live on their own land since time immemorial, we are sure that our resistance will be historically victorious.
New Democracy: Many leaders of the resistance have been assassinated and killed, how do you think this has affected the course of the resistance?
Dr. Issam Khawaja: Historically speaking, this is not the first time that resistance leaders have been assassinated. Throughout Palestinian history, Palestinian leaders have always been assassinated. But today, as before, the death of resistance leaders does not lead to the end or weakening of the Palestinian resistance, on the contrary, all these leaders are a source of inspiration for the people. They cause the resistance to rise and continue. Therefore, even though today we see that the resistance has suffered heavy casualties in terms of its leaders, we see that the resistance is raising its voice and strength with great courage at a great cost. For the Zionist entity, this resistance has very new qualities, it threatens and displaces the Zionist community from within. For the Palestinians, the consciousness is very clear that they will not allow the Nakba to happen again. The Palestinian and Lebanese people have surrounded the resistance under all circumstances and are determined not to let the flag of resistance fall. This line of resistance inspires the peoples.
New Democracy: The peoples of the world have been raising their voices in solidarity with the Palestinian people for more than a year. How do you evaluate the actions in Turkey and the region in this context. What do you expect from revolutionaries?
Dr. Issam Khawaja: As the Palestinian people, we see that all the actions, all the solidarity actions for Palestine in every corner of the world are really valuable. And we think that it is a very valuable point in the process of our struggle. Especially in the last year, the Palestinian cause has been surrounded and supported by an international solidarity that it has never seen in history. This is a great solidarity both qualitatively and massively. At the same time, the fact that it has gained continuity, that it is continuous and in every field has led to a great transformation, and the most important transformation has taken place at the level of consciousness. The new consciousness that has now permeated many corners of the world is the just cause of the Palestinian people and the unmasking of Zionism. This is the most valuable thing for us. On the other hand, on the Palestinian front, the fact that this resistance has shown that it is not alone, that the Palestinian people are not alone, has opened the door for the Palestinian resistance to continue with determination and not to back down in any way.
Of course, we wish and expect these solidarity actions to continue all over the world. Because this not only gives us strength but also causes the Palestinian issue to be talked about again in the world and always in every field. In addition to this, we have expectations from revolutionaries that these solidarity actions not only continue with continuity, but also turn into an action aimed at isolating the occupation state, boycotting it, preventing goods going to the occupation state, preventing logistics and preventing all kinds of support to the occupation state. Because this will not only make this solidarity real, but it will also limit the freedom of the Zionist state. The struggle of the Palestinian people will be reciprocated all over the world in the form of resistance, in the creation of spaces of isolation against the occupation state. Together, this will be seen as a total resistance against the Zionist entity.
New Democracy: Thank you for your contribution.
