French-Palestinian activist Rima Hassan faces intense Political and Media Scrutiny amidst the Israel-Gaza War
Rima Hassan, a French-Palestinian jurist political activist and a candidate of the European Parliament election for the French Left Party, has recently come under political as well as media inquiry in France when the Zionist Israeli regime continues its aggression against oppressed and innocent people of Gaza.
Hassan was born stateless in April 1992 in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria and arrived in France with her family at the age of nine. Her Judaism was also a source of trouble; she got French nationality at 18 and a Master 2 in international law, the subject of which was apartheid in South Africa and Israel, an opinion shared nowadays by people such as Amnesty International.
Hassan himself started the ‘Observatory of Refugee Camps’. He later formed an action group, ‘Action Palestine France’, on October 7 after Hamas led a further aggressive attack on the southern part of Israel, enhancing the age-old conflict. This conflict led to the killing of over one thousand one hundred and thirty-nine people and over two hundred people captured. Israeli bombings have, for instance, caused the lives of over 36,400 Palestinians in Gaza.
Now an LFI candidate for the European Parliament election and the MP for the Mulhouse constituency, Hassan has come under fire for the party’s position on the Gaza violence. Thus, LFI has joined the voices asserting a ceasefire and accusing both Israel and Hamas. Nonetheless, Mathilde Panot, president of the LFI, described the Hamas attack as an armed offensive by Palestinian forces and was arrested for inciting terrorism. Later, Hassan was also presented to be questioned regarding the Palestinian chant “from the river to the sea,” but no charges were pressed.
During the interview with Al Jazeera, Hassan elaborated on the French and European stances on the Gaza war, her status as a Palestinian political figure residing in France, and the European Parliament election.
Hassan’s complaint on the European Union regarding their stance on the Palestinian issue notes that they have turned a blind eye to the sufferings of the Palestinians rather than what their charter holds for them, which is the promotion of human rights, democracy and peace.
She noted the collective solid reaction exhibited by the EU towards Ukraine after Russia’s attack as different from the general ones that are being taken towards the conflict affecting Israel and Palestine. For detailed information on Israel’s many violations of international resolutions and acts documented as apartheid, Hassan pointed out something appalling: Israel goes scot-free.
Continuing the conversation with Mustafa, Hassan stressed that the focus should be on the European audience as the power is in the narration and, with its help, a breakthrough in political and diplomatic relations over the Palestinian question is possible. She urged Europe to accept Palestine as a state, boycott, and initiate penalties on it as well as block the export of weapons to it, and initiate diplomatic and political punishments on Israel that are similar to those given to apartheid South Africa.
Hassan regarded France as reckless in the treatment of the Gaza issue and more so participating in the Israeli atrocities. She noted that most Western firms are invested in it, and no E.U. country has said anything to Israel. Hassan said that Israel is seen as a Western colonial in the Middle East, established to solve the problem of Europe’s Jewish question, but at the same time dispossessing Palestinians.
Hassan, a candidate in the European elections, has expressed concerns that he has been threatened with death and had police involvement. She has been threatened and insulted, and, being an Australian woman of Palestinian origin, she has also been exposed to racist’ remarks and sentiments. Nevertheless, she continues her fight for the Palestinian cause and adherence to the rights of international refugees.
Frequency analysis clearly showed that Hassan welcomed the pro-Palestinian student riots in the USA, England, and France as evidence of the society’s interest in the Gaza war. Should she be elected, she plans to focus on the Palestinian issue, international refugee law, and a progressive, supportive, and humanistic Europe.
She believes it is time to act on these priorities, and the LFI party’s candidate, Hassan, also supports this view. The political situation with Palestinians and recent concerns about the organisation of far-right political parties demand continual advocacy of human rights and international law.
