Husni Abdel Wahed (Jericho, 64 years old) has been, since March 2022, representative of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in Spain, but, starting next Tuesday, he will become the first ambassador of the Palestinian State in this country, a change that many despise as purely symbolic, without real effects, but that he considers “definitely relevant,” according to what he stated in an interview in Madrid.
Ask. Because? Spain is a medium power that does not influence the Middle East.
Answer. I understand that Spain considers itself that way, but for us it is an important country because it has not fallen into the trap of giving license to kill Israel. Recognition has been on the table for years, our friends told us that we had to wait for the right moment and it is clear that there is no better time than now. Starting because coherence between words and actions demands it. If one defends the two-state solution, one cannot be so unbalanced as to recognize one and not the other.
Q. Some countries think that recognition should be the result of a peace agreement with Israel.
R. The negotiation must be between equals. We are under occupation, but at least we must have the same legal status. What must be negotiated is not the existence of the Palestinian state itself, but the end of the occupation. Israel says from the rooftops that it is not going to allow a Palestinian State and almost brands those who recognize it as terrorists. The Jewish fundamentalism that governs the State of Israel has reached that level of arrogance.
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Q. In practice, will recognition change your situation at all? Because you already receive the same treatment as an ambassador.
R. Yeah; Although it is true that Spain, like other European countries, grants the head of the Palestinian delegation ambassador status, with all privileges and immunities, and we are even within the diplomatic directory. These elements are important, but recognizing the State has legal, juridical and practical effects in different areas. For example, when you do an international banking procedure and search for the country, in our case you find Palestinian Territories or the West Bank and Gaza. From now on it will be Palestine. And so in many other cases. If the status changes, the treatment changes.
Q. And will that give more validity to the Palestinian passport?
R. We are under occupation and have our rights limited. Any document issued by the Palestinian authority is controlled by the occupying party. We Palestinians who live in the West Bank or Gaza have Palestinian documents, but my brothers who live outside Palestine do not have these documents. That is why we went to the United Nations to ask for our entry as a full State. That would change, because at the bilateral level it is one thing and multilateral another.
Q. There are countries that have supported the entry of the Palestinian State into the UN and have not recognized it.
R. I was referring to that type of inconsistencies. Everyone must be clear that the Palestinian State is not a threat to anyone, it is a guarantee of peace and security. I understand that some Europeans have a complex about having persecuted and massacred Jews for a long time and that prevents them from acting in accordance with their principles. But a new genocide will not free them from that complex and be careful! Many times the anti-Semites of yesterday are the anti-Palestinians of today.
Q. Spain will not be alone in this recognition.
R. The good thing is that Spain has opened a path that others have joined. As far as we know, Spain, Norway and Ireland are going to take that step and that will encourage others to follow them. I don’t want to say who is going to join, I hope there are many!, but we are sure that there will be more.
Q. University students have mobilized in the United States and Europe against what is happening in Gaza. How does it feel to you?
R. Youth is the engine of change and, for a long time, those of us who are not young thought that we had apathetic youth. Fortunately, young people have vindicated themselves with this and we are seeing that they are neither alien nor distant from the events of their time. Like in the sixties [del siglo pasado] They are marking a new era. More than for Palestine, I think this is very good for the youth themselves, for everyone’s future.
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