The Palestinian exile began with the occupation of the Zionist Jews of 1948, and also of your family.

My parents were originally from Haifa. My father worked on the railroad. Palestine was a promising state, a reference in the Middle East. Haifa was an important port in the Mediterranean and still more during World War II. In 1947, ships full of European Jews began to arrive. They were guided by the idea of creating a Zionist state in Palestine. The Jews occupied the upper parts of Haifa, from where they began to drop bombs on Palestinian civilians. People began to flee to the port and the English colonialists had their ships ready for them. My parents were put on a fishing boat and taken to Lebanon. Luckily, we had a family in Lebanon and they welcomed us into their home for a while.

So you weren't born in Palestine.

Although I am Lebanese, my origin is Palestinian. Besides, for me everything is one, everything is the same earth: Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Syria... I came here to study economics, I met the Basque lady and I stayed here. One of my brothers is in Jordan, another in Lebanon, another in the United States and the last in Canada. There are three boys and two girls.

Have you ever returned to Palestine?

We have the keys and the deeds of the house of Haifa in storage, but it is destroyed. I’ve been to Palestine once, as a tourist, with my Spanish identity card, and the remains of Haifa’s house are still there. My parents could not return.

Jews and Palestinians fighting. Has it always been like this?

Until then, Palestinian Muslims and Jews lived side by side, celebrating side by side. My parents had Jewish neighbors and, for example, they had lunch celebrating with them. Not all Jews are Europeans, but there are also Palestinians who have always lived there. Judaism is religion, not ethnicity. Zionism has become an ethnicity. They came with the idea of excluding those who came. England incubated the Zionist state, giving it weapons, creating an army... When the state of Israel was created, they were already prepared.

How have you seen the events of the last days? What do you anticipate?

The situation is worsening at all times, it is very hard for the Palestinians. It is unbearable and can explode at any time. The mobilizations will continue and can be extended to other territories, depending on the tension of the moment.

Palestinian mobilizations have been strengthened, just 70 years after the founding of Israel.

In 1948, 800,000 Palestinians were expelled by Israel, some to Lebanon, others to Jordan, the West Bank, Egypt, Syria, the border with Gaza... At present, there are 6 million refugees outside Palestine, and 2-3 million live in refugee camps. A 1948 resolution of the United Nations said that these people had the right to return home, but it has never been fulfilled. A permanent demand by the Palestinians is the right to return home. Symbolic and peaceful return marches have now been launched to assert this right. But Israel confronts them like an army. More than 100 have died and nearly 12,000 have been injured. It's an outrage.

Gaza is one of the harsh areas of exile, isn't it?

What is happening in Gaza is the sum of many things. It is a line of 365 kilometers in which there are 2 million people. It is the highest density in the world. Most of them are refugees. In 1967, Jews entered the area, and despite their subsequent departure, they are under a criminal siege. People just come in and out: no doctors, no students, no patients... There is a lack of electricity and drinking water. There is 60-70% unemployment due to scarce resources due to bombings. In 10 years there were 3 wars, leaving insufficient infrastructures. In addition, the silence of Europe and the United States must be added. This makes the situation even more painful.

In addition to the return home, the creation of a spontaneous state is another demand of the Palestinians.

In 1947, the UN recognized the fragmentation of Palestine to create a Jewish and Arab state. The Palestinian state was also recognized by the United Kingdom as the occupier. They have created the Jew without fulfilling the agreement, with the extension of the lands and the expulsion of the Palestinians. And the Palestinians have not been able to create their own. Therefore, one of the claims is the creation of this state, with Jerusalem as its capital. The importance of Palestine to the world is its geographical location. It separates East and West, and also Africa and Europe. It was not by chance that Israel was established in this place; the aim was to control the Middle East. And Jerusalem is the umbilical cord that connects Palestine to the Arab world.

And now Trump has entered, recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel...

Trump made that promise during the campaign to get the votes of the Jews and the Evangelical Church. These have their myths and narratives that the Jews must return to Jerusalem. But this story is not true. The UN and UNESCO have also often said that the holy places in Jerusalem belong to Muslims, to Palestinians. The talks between the Palestinian authorities and Israel were sponsored by the United States, and Trump is denaturing these potential agreements. Americans want to rule in the Middle East. In addition, the UNRWA organization created by the United States to provide assistance to refugees is also cutting money. The Palestinians who live outside want us to live outside and dissolve.

Why do you think they are so interested?

There is a clash between colonialist countries and an Arab project in Palestine. The colonialists want access to local resources, and Israel is a project for that. The Belico, the diffuser. What is happening in Syria, Libya, Iraq, Yemen... is undermining the support of these countries for Palestine. They want to conquer the entire Middle East and avoid the entry of Russia and China. They did it in Ukraine, but now from the south.

Apart from Gaza, there have also been problems with land in the West Bank...

The West Bank came under Jordanian rule in 1948 and was subsequently occupied by Israel in 1967. Since then, it has been feeding land to the Palestinians through settlements. People live in distress for fear of being expelled from their lands. On the other hand, when Israel was founded, a small part of the Palestinians, 200,000 people, remained at its borders. They were initially under a military regime and were later granted Israeli nationality. But they developed a policy of apartheid with them, in South Africa. They are deprived of their rights.

The Return, the State and Jerusalem as Capital. Are these the keys to the solution?

Oh, yeah, yeah. In addition, for there to be true peace, Israel must come out of Zionization. They must come to live in a state that is multi-religious, multi-ethnic and multinational.