The Jewish Chronicle (The JC), a London-based Jewish weekly newspaper, claimed in its latest report that a leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Parliamentary Secretary on Economic Affairs Kanwal Shauzab “glorified Hitler”. The report alleges that Ms. Shauzab argued that “Hitler was right to kill Jews and called for the use of nuclear weapons against Israel.”
Pakistani politician praises Hitler for killing Jews – while colleague from ruling party calls for Jihad against Israel https://t.co/b5M2mhIjzw
— The Jewish Chronicle (@JewishChron) May 24, 2021
GVS contacted Ms. Shauzab to get her version of the story. In her response to GVS request for a comment, Ms. Shauzab said that the crux of her speech was to urge the Muslim world to get united and protect the rights of their Palestinian brothers. “It is very unfortunate to see that the report published by The JC has omitted main part of my speech and took some out of context statements which have created an image I want to clarify.” Ms. Shauzab maintains that “this is a fabricated story.”
“In my speech, I was addressing the entire Muslim community to help out Palestinian brothers. I was simply urging the Muslim majority countries to get united against the brutality and atrocities of Israel against innocent Palestinians,” she said.
As Israel claims to be the victim of terrorism, Ms. Shauzab dispelled the impression and argued: “Israel claims to be the victim of terrorism. This unfortunate and smartly created perception should concern the Muslim leaders. Isn’t it interesting that a country which claims to have the best technology in the world is being confronted by a few young men and women holding stones in their hands thinks to be a victim of terrorism?”
Moreover, Ms. Shauzab maintains that Muslims should get united to support their Palestinian brothers. “Muslims countries have everything ranging from gold and oil to the atomic power. But when it comes to supporting our Palestinian brothers there is no ideal situation,” she lamented.
“I do not encourage any country to use nuclear capabilities against Israel but I urged the leadership of the Muslim world to use their resources to empower Palestinian brothers in their fight against an oppressor” she clarified.
GVS asked Ms. Shauzab if she glorified Hitler. “Let’s first set the historical record straight; Hitler was not a Muslim who can be glorified by anyone of us. The West should not blame us for their own crimes which continue to haunt them. I would reiterate that the blame for what happened in the history should not be shitted for political reasons.”
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“However, I am of the view that Israel is doing to Palestinians what Hitler did to the Jews in the twentieth century. We condemn Israel as ferociously as we condemn Hitler and his actions against a particular community. But let’s be clear about the fact that we are not apologetic for the stance we have. Pakistanis are peace loving people. We do not have a mindset of oppressor but we unapologetically stand by the oppressed,” she said.
“We stand by our Palestinians brothers in their struggle against an occupying force,” Ms. Shauzab concluded.
Is Israel committing a crime against humanity?
Notably, Human Rights Watch (HRW), an acclaimed international rights group, has claimed in its latest report that the “Israeli authorities methodically privilege Jewish Israelis and discriminate against Palestinians,” and these “deprivations are so severe that they amount to the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution.”
It says Israel has a policy “to maintain the domination by Jewish Israelis over Palestinians”, including those who are its citizens. Apartheid amounts to state-sanctioned racial discrimination and is considered a crime against humanity.
Palestinians are on strike in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and in Israeli towns to protest Israel's attacks on Gaza and "against the apartheid regime."
Israel's airstrikes have killed over 200 Palestinians, including at least 61 children.#StrikeForPalestine pic.twitter.com/2UasVrtagQ
— AJ+ (@ajplus) May 18, 2021
Israel’s foreign ministry has rejected the report as “preposterous and false”. It accused the international campaign group of having a “long-standing anti-Israeli agenda” and carrying out an ongoing campaign “with no connection to facts or reality on the ground”.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the report. “It is urgent for the international community to intervene, including by making sure that their states, organisations, and companies are not contributing in any way to the execution of war crimes and crimes against humanity,” he said.
Israel’s Arab minority comprises just over 20% of its population of 9.3 million, while at least 2.5 million Palestinians live in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and 350,000 in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem. About 1.9 million Palestinians live in the Gaza Strip, which the UN considers to also be occupied by Israel.
Israel occupied the territories in the 1967 Middle East war. It pulled out of Gaza in 2005, but still controls most of its borders, as well as its airspace and waters off its coast.
More than 600,000 Jews live in about 140 settlements built in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.
Human Rights Watch’s 213-page report, entitled A Threshold Crossed, states that the present-day reality is that Israel is the sole governing power throughout most of those areas and that in the remainder it exercises primary authority alongside limited Palestinian self-rule.