Benkirane: The Palestinian cause is about land not economics

“The Palestinian cause is a matter of land and not of an economic issue”, said Abdelilah Benkirane, the former Moroccan Prime Minister.

Benkirane made the statement on Monday evening in Rabat during a speech delivered at a seminar, organized by Ali Yata foundation, entitled: “Myths and Zionist Crimes, Imperialist Tricks, and Palestinian Tragedies”.

Benkirane said that,

those who talk about the ‘Deal of the Century’ believe that the Palestinian problem is an economic problem, but the issue is essentially about people who were deprived of their land and who want to go back home and enjoy it

According to Palestinian officials, Washington seeks “to impose a political solution, the ‘Deal of the Century’, based on the establishment of a state in Gaza Strip, and limited autonomy in the West Bank, while retaining Israel control of the city of Jerusalem both east and west.

Benkirane pointed out that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was isolated after his recent decision to reject the transfer of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The United States inaugurated its embassy in Jerusalem on June 14, and two days later Guatemala did the same, followed by the third country to take such a step, Paraguay.

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The Palestinian people, the Arab and Islamic nations and the vast majority of countries around the world condemned the transfer of embassies to Jerusalem, which is considered an occupied city according to international law.

Benkirane also said that Mahmoud Abbas’ resilience in the face of the decision of the world’s greatest president and state, in reference to US President Donald Trump’s decision to transfer the American embassy to Jerusalem, will give impetus to the Palestinian cause.

He emphasized that Palestinians do never reject anyone, but, others do. As such, Palestinian children are constantly deprived of exchange with their peers in the Arab countries for decades.

Benkirane asserted that the official discourse of the Jewish leadership, referring to Israeli officials, forwarded to journalists and people is a clear and frank.

The former Prime Minister added that,

on the other hand, it seems that our rulers do not think in the same Jewish way, and that our elite, unable to find a clear discourse, is intellectually drifted apart from our populations that are at a loss.

He went on, “the current situation can last to an undetermined amount of time, and what is said about the demise of Israel is something that no one knows for sure when it will happen. We have to be honest with ourselves as rulers and political and cultural elite, regardless of our ideological affiliations, because there is one opponent out there who has to be faced either with a wise or a bad decision … politics does not always mean a tangible victory.”