Please introduce yourself in your own words.
I am Farah Baker, 19 years old, I study Business administration third level and I am a social media activist.
What is the situation in Gaza right now?
People in Gaza are so angry, especially after the Trump decision.
We were wishing for Palestinian reconciliation, and as you see it did not go well. This made us so frustrated, and now Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel... absolutely people in Gaza are so angry, because they have already passed through so many things.
Now we want to do anything to make Trump withdraw this decision. So people keep going on demonstrations and keep protesting, especially at the borders between Gaza and the Israelis. There are many martyrs and injured people, so people get angry everyday.
Are you safe, and are your family safe after the attacks over the weekend?
We can’t say if we are safe or not, because as long as we are occupied by the Israeli occupation and it uses …. the occupation itself is illegal… and Israel uses internationally prohibited weapons against us, and targeting civilians, and starts wars on us at any time.
No one in Gaza can be safe and we expect a war at any time. At the current moment if the conditions stay like this, I can say that I am safe. But i don’t know what will happen tomorrow, after an hour or anything.
The might start a war at any time.
Why is Israel so tense at the moment?
I can see the whole world stands against Israel at the moment, and people keep protesting against it. I think that many people who were standing with Israel felt right now that it is doing an illegal occupation. Already they had Balfour agreement, when the Balfour agreement gave Palestine to the Israelis, and now Trump gave Jerusalem which is the eternal capital of Palestine to the Israelis.
So the whole world stands against Israel, as I see. This is putting them in much pressure. So they will become more aggressive.
Why was the designation of Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel so important to you, as a Palestinian?
Actually, Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Palestine. Palestine is Arab and Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Palestine. Neither Trump nor anyone else can make a decision like this because we are the landowners.
I see that Trump is a sick person - tomorrow he might say the Earth looks like a circle not an oval, so he can make decisions anytime. But I think we are the ones who can make decisions about whether we want to give our land to someone or not. Who is he to come and judge who we want to give our land to?
Especially as America is the strongest country that supports the Zionist project in Palestine, and it supplies the Zionist with weapons. So they come and give Jerusalem to the Israelis, so this decision will not be accepted by the Palestinians.
We have been fighting - everything we have - since the beginning of the occupation. We are ready to sacrifice more just to save our land, because this is our right and this right will not be surrendered.
When you refer to Jerusalem as the “eternal capital of Palestine” are you talking about Jerusalem or East Jerusalem?
I believe there is no Eastern or Western Jerusalem. There is one Jerusalem which is the eternal capital of Palestine. It is for the Palestinians and of course it is for all the world religions - Muslims, Christians and Jewish people. It is the land of peace and it shouldn’t be occupied by anyone. Of course Palestinians will accept everyone and will let anyone come and pray in it, but it is absolutely occupied.
For me as a Palestinian who lives in Gaza, and Jerusalem is not more than two hours away from my house. I have never been able to visit it and go and pray in it, although I am Muslim. I am Palestinian: I have been deprived from my right, since I was born. And now the occupation has come and they want to take it. If i accept this decision, it would absolutely be so illogical.
Have you never been able to pray or worship in Jerusalem in your life?
Never. This is a dream. Gaza is besieged from Egypt and from the Israeli side. Both deprive us from travelling, and if i want to go to travel in Jerusalem I have to get, for example, something to be sick to be able to go there, but otherwise if i say that I want to go to pray they will not allow me.
For me as a social media activist, and i have been writing about them in 2014, I think that if I go and travel there I might be arrested. So this put me in many straights.
What about your friends? Is it easy to travel to Jerusalem or difficult?
No, it is not easy for any Palestinian to travel to Jerusalem. Actually foreign people who do not own the nationality it is easier for them to go to Jerusalem.
But for the Palestinians, it is the hardest dream ever.
Has the response the rest of the world been encouraging?
Jerusalem is not only for Palestinians. Its for all the people in the world whatever their religion is. Jerusalem is for the three religions and all the people in the world should seek peace for this Holy Land. We stand with people who came and protested with us. But we don’t stand with any leader because they left us, and they keep pursuing their interests.
The views expressed in this interview do not necessarily reflect those of Al Bawaba News.
