by The Commentator on 16 January 2013 17:29

In a speech last night in the British Parliament, the Palestinian Ambassador to the UK announced that it was his personal belief that Israel refuses peace, and “nurtures on conflict”.

In a controversial speech hosted by the virulently anti-Israel Member of Parliament, Jeremy Corbyn, Manuel Hassassian reportedly told an audience of around 100 people that, “there is no two state solution”.

The event was organised by the controversial Palestine Solidarity Campaign and hosted Labour’s Shadow Justice Minister Andy Slaughter, as well as Lib Dem MP and former government minister Sarah Teather.

The Ambassador is reported to have also remarked, “We, the Palestinians, the most highly educated and intellectual in the Middle East, are still struggling for the basic right of self-determination… You know I’m reaching the conclusion that the Jews are the children of God, the only children of God and the Promised Land is being paid by God! I have started to believe this because nobody is stopping Israel building its messianic dream of Eretz Israel to the point I believe that maybe God is on their side. Maybe God is partial on this issue.”

In addition, Hassassian is said to have questioned Israel’s future by remarking upon the growing Muslim population in the world, as well as America’s waning support for the Jewish state. He said:

“Israel will never continue to exist as a pariah state. Israel could never continue to fight wars against the Palestinians, against the Arabs and the Muslims. The United States is not going to be Israel’s strategic ally for time immemorial. And today we have 1.5 billion Muslims. In 20 years we will have 2 billion. And those 2 billion, forget about politics, from a religious perspective will not allow Israel to continue desecrating their religious rights (in Jerusalem). And then what?”

Hassassain claimed that Israel was the reason behind a failure of peace to be reached, rather than blaming the continued intransigence of the Palestinian Authority towards peace negotiations, or indeed the continued terrorist activities of Hamas and its sponsors.

He claimed, ignoring the Camp David negotiations in 2000, that, “In 2002 the Arabs gave them the Arab Peace Initiative. Relinquishing territories occupied in 1967 would have led to normalisation of relations with Israel. If the Israelis had accepted that the flag of Israel would have been hoisted in Mecca, in Iran, in Tehran! If they had accepted. But Israel does not want peace. Israel nurtures on conflict, and the Zionist Ideology is to have the entire West Bank, the entire Palestine.”

The Palestinian Mission to the UK was unavailable for comment at the time of publishing, their voicemail indicating that their working hours are from 9:30am to 4:30pm.

Further reporting on the event can be found here.