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Following are excerpts from an interview with Egyptian journalist Nabil Sharaf Al-Din, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on January 27, 2009.
Nabil Sharaf Al-Din: If victory means one dead Israeli for every 100 dead Palestinians, the destruction of 40,000 homes, the utter destruction of the infrastructure of the wretched, besieged Gaza Strip, and having to watch these gruesome images on TV day and night – we do not want such a victory. This reminds me of the well-known Egyptian joke: “The doctor died, the patient died, the mother died, and the fetus died, but the operation was a success.” This is the epitome of stupidity. In this kind of war, between states and non-states, you cannot determine victory or success by this peculiar criterion: “Israel failed to achieve its goals, and therefore, we won.” This reverse logic is unjustified and completely incomprehensible.
In this war, Israel claims victory because it achieved some of its goals, and Hamas also claims victory, on the grounds that it remained steadfast – which was only because its leaders were living in tunnels and hideouts, or in exile – the five-star Hamas.
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All parties claim victory in this war, with the exception of the poor Palestinians from Gaza, who paid the price with their lives and their livelihood, and who have, at the very least, witnessed all these terrible sights, if they have not lost loved ones.
We do not need any more such victories. Whoever enters a war without properly assessing his position is a criminal. If Hamas knew anything about politics... But unfortunately, they understand politics like I understand Chinese.
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