On the occasion of International Quds Day, Eric Walberg, Canadian writer and political analyst talked about the importance of Quds Day, its regional impacts.
“Quds Day, celebrated around the world by millions, is marked on the last Friday of Ramadan, coinciding with the most sacred time of Ramadan, the Night of Destiny. This year it is on May 7. This night especially empowers Muslims with God’s mercy, as the starting point of Muslims’ awakening and awareness in all aspects of life. Quds Day was initiated in 1979 by Ayatollah Khomeini to express solidarity with the Palestinian people and oppose Zionism and Israeli occupation, especially of Jerusalem (Al-Quds),” Walberg said in an exclusive interview with Qods News Agency.
Referring to the designation of International Quds Day by Imam Khomeini, the Canadian figure added that “Ayatollah Khomeini understood the connection between the struggle to liberate Palestine and the struggle for social justice around the world, in the first place among Muslims. All must know that the superpowers’ aim in creating Israel does not end in the occupation of Palestine. They plan, Heaven forbid, extending the fate of Palestine to all Arab countries.”
He also praised Imam Khomeini’s description of the Zionist regime, who called Israel “cancerous tumor”, noting that “it is an appropriate metaphor. Cancer attacks a specific part of the body and spreads through the body rapidly, destroying not only the organ where it started (Palestine), but eventually the whole body. Even when we detect it, we don’t understand its mechanism. It requires resolute action to cut it out or using medicines to mitigate its affects. It is almost impossible to get rid of it completely unless the whole body has a miraculous remission, unites against it.”
Walberg, in the next part of the interview, talked about Iran’s proposal for holding a referendum in the occupied territories which would determine the future of Palestine, stressing that if US agreed with Iran’ proposal, “it would be a sign of weakness”.
“America’s ‘allies’ are subservenient, so they must do as the US says or face the same destructive policies of sanctions and threat of war that Iran faces. A referendum by the dispossessed Palestinians is of course an excellent idea, but it would show the bankruptcy of US-Israel,” he added,
Answering to question about the status of struggles against Israel in Canada and other Western countries, Walberg responded that “it is a difficult struggle in Canada and the West in general. Israeli agents control all the US and Canada’s political parties. The media is either owned by Zionists or is pro-Israel. Everyone is afraid of the Israeli lobbies. The concepts of freedom and democracy do not extend to foreign policy, which is controlled by US-Israel.”
“But activists organize protests, film festivals, Israel Apartheid Weeks, BDS boycotts of Israel and illegal settlements. The Israeli lobbies are strong, well-funded, and zealous, now trying to get all levels of government to make it illegal to criticize Israel, that any criticism of Israel is anti-semitism. Just preventing this idiocy takes much time and effort, preventing us from doing meaningful work to help Palestinians. But we are inspired by the Palestinians themselves, who refuse to give up,” Walberg went on to say.
“Our protests are the least we can do to help achieve justice. If Israel succeeds, it will keep expanding its warlike behaviour. There is no limit to such immoral behaviour,” he stressed.
