The following are excerpts from an Al-Jazeera television interview on the London bombings, with Palestinian National Council member Mamoun Al-Tamimi and author and journalist 'Adel Darwish of the U.K. paper Daily Mail. The interview aired on July 12, 2005 on Al-Jazeera TV. (To view this clip, go to http://memritv.org/clip/en/759.htm.)
Al-Tamimi: "Blair Will Fall Just Like Aznar"
Host: We heard the British Home Secretary say that what happened in London has nothing whatsoever to do with the British policies or Iraq. What do you have to say to him?
Al-Tamimi: "Obviously, he wants to defend himself, because this operation will bring down the government. Blair will fall just like Aznar did. When Spain was attacked, Aznar immediately tried to pin it on ETA and the Basques. Then it turned out that Al-Qaeda was behind the attack, and he immediately lost the elections. Blair will follow Aznar. This is certain. Therefore they want to cover up...
"First of all, they prevented the media from filming the attacks. The attacks were enormous, a thousand times greater than what was reported. Why did they do this? Because of the fear that overcame the British people and government, and because they know that they are paying a steep price for the mess Blair got them into. They understood that this is because they treat the Arabs and Muslims with disdain and spill their blood. They understood that this is war. In war, you hit and get hit. That's the equation. It is just like Albright said when she was asked whether two million Iraqis were killed because of the decade-long siege on Iraq. She responded, 'That's war.'
"Since this war is ongoing, the people you strike have the right to strike back at you, in your home, your country, anywhere. That's the equation."
Darwish: "When You Give In to Terrorists, You Encourage Them"
Host: When Spain suffered a terrorist attack, it immediately withdrew its forces from Iraq...
Darwish: "I think that was a very big mistake, because when you give in to terrorists, you encourage them. The British people are determined not to give in to the terrorists. By the way, Mamoun spoke about the Arab custom of blood vengeance... The detainees are British citizens of Pakistani origin, and not Arabs. Therefore, there is no connection between the Arab blood vengeance and the location of the bombings."
Al-Tamimi: "Britain Totally Annihilated Germany after Hitler's Fall – This is Britaish Humanism"
Al-Tamimi: "As for Britain's humanism, Winston Churchill once said: 'Defend freedom, for it is the reason for our existence.' After Hitler's fall in Germany, Winston Churchill ordered the army and the air force to continue bombing. The bombings continued three weeks after Hitler's fall, and military historians say that the casualties sustained by Germany after Hitler's fall were greater than the casualties from the war. Germany had 25 million casualties, and in Britain there were 18 million dead. In other words, Britain totally annihilated Germany after Hitler's fall.
"That is Britain's humanist side. We have suffered from Britain's humanist side since the turn of the century, since 1880 or 1881. Ever since, we have been suffering because of Britain. Britain uprooted the Palestinian people from its land and planted a Jewish entity. It brought over riffraff and gave them Palestine, uprooting children and women from their homes and their fields, without any food or clothing. Britain divided up the area and sowed the seeds of civil strife. It created mini-states which collaborated with it. Britain occupied Iraq. We are still suffering disasters because of Britain."
"In Saddam's Day, There Was Stability"
Al-Tamimi: "Britain caused infinite destruction to the Iraqi people. Now that the political and social map of Iraq has been completed, there will be no civil society there. He said that there was no civil society in the days of Saddam. Is there civil society now in Iraq?!
"Today there are massacres, murder, car bombs, martyrdom-seekers, battles of attrition – there is total confusion. Is there civil society now? Have we lost our minds?! In the days of Saddam there was stability, calm; there was a government, a people, funding, a state, and institutions. All of this has been [taken away] by imperialism, in the guise of culture and humanism – while they are really the least cultured and humane in the world."
Darwish: London Bombers "Losers and Cowards"; Al-Tamimi: "Who Made Them Love Death? Britain and the U.S."
Host: Mr. 'Adel Darwish, what do you have to say to the perpetrators of these operations?
Darwish: "I say that they are losers and cowards, and that they lack any courage. They should go and confront the British soldiers in Basra, if they've got what it takes. But they are cowards with no courage."
What would you say to them?
Al-Tamimi: "I say that people who blow themselves up... There are already dozens of them. If you say that they are cowards, then you are a mental pervert. They love death like that man loves life. Who made them love death? Britain and the U.S. with their actions. And the American and British peoples will pay the price if they don't put an end to these governments."
