Former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi: We Arabs Wanted To Throw Israel Into The Sea But Failed; Now I Support A Just, Comprehensive, Lasting Peace With Israel

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said that peace with Israel is not a matter of opinion but rather a "basic and important" matter and that he supported a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace with Israel. He made his remarks in an interview that aired on Alsumaria TV (Iraq) on February 11, 2021. Allawi said: "We wanted to throw them into the sea, but we couldn't." He clarified that peace with Israel does not mean abandoning the Palestinian cause, and the Gulf countries are still committed to the Arab summits and U.N. resolutions regarding a two-state solution with East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.

Interviewer: "Dr. Allawi, you're a pan-Arabist. What do you think about peace with Israel? What do you think about normalization of relations with Israel?"

Ayad Allawi: "Peace with Israel is not a matter of opinion. It is a basic and important matter. We wanted to throw them into the sea, but we couldn't. So [yes to] peace with Israel, but... but... It has to be a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace..."

Interviewer: "Some countries opted for normalization..."

Ayad Allawi: "...our brothers the Palestinians."

Interviewer: "But the Gulf countries turned to normalization..."

Ayad Allawi: "Without a Palestinian state and without dealing with... There is no contradiction. The Gulf countries did not sell out the Palestinian cause. The Gulf leaders are still committed to the Arab summits and the U.N. resolutions regarding a just peace, the two-state solution, and East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine."