04-10-2024 05:41 PM Jerusalem Timing

Samir Kuntar: Regional Uprisings.. Thanks to Resistance in Lebanon and Palestine

Samir Kuntar: Regional Uprisings.. Thanks to Resistance in Lebanon and Palestine

Dean of liberated detainees from Israeli prisons: recent events in the region were the results of the achievements of Lebanese and Palestinian resistance.

Dean of liberated detainees from Israeli prisons, Samir Kuntar stressed recent events in the region were the results of the achievements of the resistance movements in Lebanon and Palestine. Kuntar was speaking to Al-Manar’s Website during the signing ceremony of his book “My Story” in Beirut on Friday.

“Events in the Region didn’t only relate to economic conditions, but also resulted from a series of achievements by the resistance in Lebanon and Palestine;" as well as from “the stance of reluctance maintained by Syria over the past years,” Kuntar told the Website.

He added that the “Egyptians, for instance, had suffered from a hard economic situation during late leader Abdul Nasser’s rule, however they refused that he resigns.” 

Asked about recent uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa, Kuntar called on revolutionists not to let history go backwards.

Egypt
On the Egyptian revolution, Kuntar emphasized Egyptians should reconsider the Camp David agreement which led Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria to pay heavy prices.

“The Camp David Agreement led to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 and inflicted heavy losses in Syrian army ranks; the Palestinian people became under siege amid difficult living conditions; numerous Lebanese areas were completely destroyed and thousands of people fell martyrs. The Egyptians should work promptly to relieve us of the burden of the Camp David Agreement,” Kuntar stressed.

Tunisia
Referring to the Tunisian people, Kuntar said they were major element of Arab interdependence, to embrace the Palestinian uprising and stand by it.

However, “the revolution’s leadership was not worthy of the Tunisians who must be clear and decisive about its movement. Tunisia should be the basis and the goal. The Tunisians should protect the Arab path and rights, especially the Palestinian cause,” he stated.

Libya
Kuntar expressed belief that Moammar Gaddafi will be toppled eventually and will pay for his crimes. “Accomplishing this might take a longer time than it took the Egyptians to topple Hosni Mubarak because Gaddafi – the tyrant - has nothing to lose, after he lost his money and power.”

Saudi Arabia
Kuntar said that recent reforms in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia were superficial and short-term ones. “This is not about salaries; there is a strong link between the political reality and the economic situation. Protection should be provided for a people through safeguarding it from economic violations and consolidating this sector so as not to be dependent on the World Bank and Western countries.”

“This requires an interrelated stance on the nation’s causes and supporting the major one, i.e. the Palestinian cause,” he emphasized.

Galilee Equation
On the equation of liberating occupied Galilee declared by Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Nasrallah two weeks ago, Kuntar said he strongly believed that “when Sayyed Nasrallah speaks about a certain equation, it means that it is certainly ready for execution, not just a plan.”

Netanyahu
Pointing out to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s weak response to Sayyed Nasrallah’s declaration, Kuntar said: “Let him try and we will see. Sharon said in past that he (Sayyed Nasrallah) will never be able to capture any Israeli soldiers, but he (Sayyed Nasrallah) did. When I was in prison, he (Sharon) said that Samir will not get out, but I’m here now,” the released detainee said with a laugh.

Samir Kuntar was known as the dean of liberated prisoners for spending more than 30 years in the Israeli jails. He was liberated in 2008, after long indirect negotiations with the Israeli entity following the July 2006 war on Lebanon.