Interview || In late July, two important Israelite non -governmental organizations, B’TSelem and Israel’s doctors for human rights, accused the country of being committed genocide. In a month and a half, the same accusation was made by the International Association of Genocide Scholars (Igas) and an independent commission mandated by the UN. In the light of the conclusions, several countries, with France and the United Kingdom to the head, recognized the state of Palestine this week. But this is only “a first step” that will do nothing without “real and concrete actions” against Israel, defends Yair Dvir, spokesman for B’Tselem, in an interview with CNN Portugal – otherwise it will be “just another form of complicity with genocide, which can accelerate the annexation” of occupied territories.
In the wake of these ads, how enforceable is the creation of a state of Palestine given the latest movements in Gaza and the busy West Bank? Is the state of Palestine still a achievable goal?
What must be understood is that our main objective at this time should be to lock genocide and ethnic cleaning [dos palestinianos] And that still depends a lot on the international community. If countries consider this official announcement to be sufficient, then possibly the situation will only get worse.
Is it a hollow step?
Israel will not connect with this recognition, as it is continuing its ethnic cleaning mission in the Gaza Strip and in many parts of the West Bank to attach the territories. It is up to the international community, and in addition to this recognition, to stress real and concrete actions to increase the pressure on Israel – because if they think this is enough, so it will be just another form of complicity with genocide, which can accelerate annexation [dos territórios palestinianos ocupados].
What kinds of real actions?
Well, because B’TSelem is under the Israeli regime, under the Israeli system, there are some things I cannot discuss directly. But everyone knows what the means and tools available in light of international law are.
In 2013, I was part of an excursion organized by B’TSelem with the area designated as E1, where the planned construction of more colonates threatened to end the contiguity between the north and southern southern West Bank. Because of international pressure, this plan was frozen for several years, until last August, when the Netanyahu government announced that it will even move forward with the project – which even more endangers the creation of a future Palestinian state…
If we look at the ultimate goal, in all areas where it was supposed to constitute this state, there has been slow movements to end this possibility. And in the last five years the expansion of colonates has been happening a little throughout the West Bank, in order to ensure that there will be no real state of Palestine in any future agreement. The difference is that now they officially assume this, when they can have been trying to hide it for many years.
Therefore, are plans for E1 just the continuation of this occupation policy?
Yes. By continuing the construction in E1, which effectively separates North and South, they are also increasing the control of Palestinian tickets in the territory and now clearly tells it – that the goal is to prevent any possibility for Palestine. And they speak proudly of the attachment of the West Bank. In the last two years, 41 communities have been expelled by settlers’ violence and, while we talk, there are many more communities under the same threat.
The violence perpetrated by settlers has been a particularly prevalent phenomenon in the occupied West Bank since October 2023, which has motivated international sanctions against some of the most extremist settlers. What do you think is important to understand about this?
Above all that the violence of the settlers is supported by the army itself and that there are many communities under this threat. Israel is on its way to deepening ethnic cleaning. It must be remembered that the settlers are supported by a genocide regime, which has been committing a live genocide over two years. It is the same regime, the same army, and we are already seeing some communities disappearing because of it. And that is why here in B’TSelem we say that if Israel is not locked, genocide will not only continue but will spread to the West Bank.
B’TSelem was the first NGO to accuse the State of Israel of committing genocide crimes against Palestinians in the occupied territories – the same accusation now in the report of an independent committee that opened an investigation at the UN request. What is the importance of these reports?
It is important to tell the truth and give the right name to what Israel is doing. Israel continues to try to sell these self -defense ideas, ongoing war, concerned about hostages, but it’s all propaganda. Israel has a very specific goal of expelling all 2 million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. They talk about it proudly, even in terms of money and land that will win with US help. This is said in a very clear and declared way. Of course it is important to tell the truth about what is happening, but that’s just a first step. Above all, what these reports indicate is that the whole world cannot continue to support this and that the international community has to go through the action.
