Palestinian Academic Dr. Amjad Abu El Ezz: We Are Largely Responsible for Our Situation Today and Act as If We Are Mentally Inhibited; We Do Not Know Whether We Want Peace with Israel or Armed Resistance

Palestinian academic Dr. Amjad Abu El Ezz said in a January 9, 2020 interview on An-Najah NBC TV (Palestine) that although the current situation of the Palestinians is partly a result of the Israeli occupation, the Palestinians themselves also bear a large part of the responsibility for it. He said that the Palestinians in Palestine act as if they are "mentally inhibited" and pointed out that Palestinians in Europe, America, and the Gulf countries are highly productive. Dr. El Ezz also said that the Palestinian identity has been disintegrating since the Oslo Accords and that the Palestinians do not know whether they want peace with Israel or to resume armed resistance.

Dr. Amjad Abu El Ezz: "The pretext of the occupation is always there. The Israeli enemy will never be merciful towards you. This is your enemy, so you must always anticipate the worst from it. However, practically speaking, you are talking about the Oslo Accord, which gave 18% of the territories as Area A, 17% as Area B, and 62% as Area C. This means that 62% of the territory is held by the Israelis. If we attain 8% of Area C, our economy will grow at least 8%. I am not ignoring the fact that there is occupation here, but as Palestinians, we bear a large part of the responsibility. The occupation is not the only problem. The problem is the occupation of our minds. We are the ones who complicate and neglect things. When I look at the Palestinian policies regarding infrastructure... It is as if we are mentally challenged. What are we innovating? What are we creating? Look at the Palestinians in Europe, America, and the Gulf countries. There, we produce hundreds of ideas, and we have taken part in the development of many countries. Why do we have this mental fossilization? If we cannot resolve our social, health, and education problems, fighting the Israeli policies is pointless.

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"I support the creation of a Palestinian identity, but we must be honest with ourselves. Since the beginning of the Oslo process, the Palestinian identity has disintegrated. To this day, the Palestinian leadership does not know what it wants. Do we want peace, or do we want resistance? Our statements are all over the place. Some Palestinian leaders are calling for a return to armed struggle, and others want the opposite – the path to peace. The President, and every personality that meets an Israeli official, is accused of normalizing relations with Israel. At the same time, the President and other institutions of ours have a committee that handles relations with Israeli society. We should be clear. What do we want?"