Fatah Spokesman Osama Qawasmeh: The West Sponsors Islamic Extremism; 9/11 Was No Coincidence

In an interview, broadcast by the Palestinian Authority's official TV channel, Fatah spokesman Osama Qawasmeh talked about the situation in Syria, and said that "it was the [Americans] who worked to create Islamic extremism," adding that "they are indoctrinated with certain notions, and leaders created in the West and in Israel are planted in their midst." Qawasmeh further said that the timing of 9/11 was "no coincidence": it pushed the Palestinian cause to the sidelines in the international media. The interview aired on April 5, 2016.

Following are excerpts

Osama Qawasmeh: In 2003, when preparations were being made to invade Iraq, I recall that George Bush Jr. made a declaration, which drew condemnations, leading to the removal of the video from all the media. A journalist asked him directly: Why do you want to invade Iraq? Bush answered him - in English: "They own the [know]how." That was the real reason. A country like Iraq is not allowed to have scientists or capabilities, to make political decisions or to have true free will with regard to the Iraqi oil. A country like Syria is not allowed to export wheat, or to be without any debt to the World Bank.

The World Bank is part of an international system, whose goal is to bring you to your knees, extort you, and strip you of your ability to make independent political decisions. and strip you of your ability to make independent political decisions.

The stories about Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan are known to all. They know that this ideology... Note that we are not talking about Islam, which is a religion of unity and tolerance, devoid of confrontation, conflict, and strife. These people have a misconception of Islam, and they are indoctrinated with certain notions, and leaders created in the West and in Israel are planted in their midst. These people adopt a notion of political conflict that is based on heresy and faith. When in Syria, Iraq, and the Sinai Peninsula - and for eight years, I'm sad to say, here in Palestine - Muslims kill other Muslims... In Syria, there are more than 200 groups, each of which raises the banner of "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Prophet," and they are all killing one another, in the name of Islam and the Quran, and for the sake of certain rights...

Interviewer: For the sake of the shari'a and the claim that Islam is the solution...

Osama Qawasmeh: Right. A true catastrophe has afflicted the Arab nation. Therefore, we in Palestine say that the basic goal of the [Western] enterprise is the strengthening of Israel. Israel has benefited from this. Weakening the Arab states is in Israel's interests, plundering the resources of the Arab states is in its interests, and breaking down the Arab states into mini-states... When the Intifada broke out, I was attending a course abroad, and I witnessed the daily attention given by the international media to the Intifada. There was no other news. Then, after a short while, came the events of 9/11, and this, I say, was no coincidence.

The priorities changed, the Palestinian cause was pushed to the sidelines, and the Western slogan became the "war on terror." Israel is constantly plotting to strategically implement its plans, by making sure that issues other than the Palestinian cause are always on the international agenda. That way, Israel implements its plans. I do not want to pass judgment on Osama Bin Laden, but there are things one can deduce with one's mind.

[Bin Laden] went to fight in Afghanistan, and after the [Americans] had exploited him for all he was worth, he was killed. This holds true for anybody with a connection to political Islam. I tell you, the day will come when the plot involving ISIS, the Muslim Brotherhood, and so on has been completed, and they will completely disappear.

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