George Galloway's presence in a room is one that instantaneously commands the attention of others. His reputation of rebelliousness and unabashed defiance precedes him and fills the room with an air of trepidation.
Despite neither one of us being a Muslim, the Respect party MP unknowingly utters the Arabic greeting ‘Salaam alaikum’ meaning ‘peace be upon you’. Whether he uses this greeting as a ploy to obtain the support of the Palestinians by appearing to be ‘one of them’ from the outset is unbeknown, however it is clear Mr Galloway has acquired the support and assistance of Palestinians all over the world including the constituency of which he represents, Bethnal Green and Bow.
The founding member of the Respect party can regularly be seen boldly asserting his brazen anti-war views and opinions in articles, on television and in his fierce campaigning talks around the globe. With his self-assertive attitude Galloway resists convention by vehemently penetrating to the core anti-imperialist issues using sharp and cutting statements with fervour.
Before asking him a series of prepared questions, I allowed him to fulminate. He began by stating his premise that ‘support for Palestine is not anti-semetic’. He verifies this by insisting that both Jews and non-Jews support this statement and advocate his anti-Israel efforts.
One may presume that Mr Galloway is referring to the ultra-orthodox sect of Judaism named ‘Neturei Karta’ that intensely oppose Zionism and the state of Israel traditionally embracing its enemies. Enemies such as George Galloway. Both Galloway and Neturei Karta can be seen shaking the hands of many controversial figures such as the political organisation Hezbollah’s leader Hasran Nasrallah and the Iranian President Ahmadinejad who allegedly stated in 2005 that Israel should be ‘wiped off the map’ refusing to recognise Israel as a legitimate state. Yet Galloway vigourously denies being anti-semetic and even stated that if he is ever labelled with this term then he will see the person responsible for tarnishing his reputation in court for defamation. I sensed that this threat had been made before by Mr Galloway in retaliation to his abrasive anti-israel comments that lead people to believe him to be anti-semetic.
Mr Galloway went on to state that the only reason as to why Israel was promised to the Jewish people or ‘strangers’ as he expressed is due to Mr Balfour himself being an ‘anti-semetic racist’. He declared that Mr Balfour wished for every Jew to be placed in one area so as to be surrounded by their Arab enemies which according to Galloway would be beneficial to the British Empire. Stating that this decision has been the cause of Palestinian bloodshed for decades since and the explanation as to why Palestinians live as refugees in ‘infested pits’ in Gaza.
It is apparent that Galloway’s ongoing mentions of anti-semetic figures such as Albert Einstein and Mr Balfour are a way to focus this manner of attention onto others almost resulting in a justification of his on intensely anti-Israel views whether from a genuine stance or otherwise.
Mr Galloway explains that the idea of Zionist Jews was invented and in actual fact did not exist as the idea of the exodus did not occur and consequently their ‘right of return’ is invalidated. Rather this group of Jews were not overtly concerned with which area of the world they would be placed in, choosing from a number of areas including the Seychelles, Uganda, Patagonia and Israel.
Negating the old testament entirely and thereby nullifying the beliefs of thousands of Jewish and Christian scholars,
Respect Mp Mr Galloway makes use of indignant and bombastic rhetoric during the meeting to persuade and impress. Yet one can’t help but feel that this has been dramatised for his own personal desire to remain in parliamentary politics.
Statements such as ‘ethnic cleansing’, ‘racism’ and ‘terrorism’ when discussing Israeli Prime Ministers including Menachem Begin, Ariel Sharon and a man who he named Yitzchak Assir - whom one can only presume to be the actual ex-Israeli Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin that Galloway is referring to, can and does only incite anti-semetism whether or not stating as such directly.
After inquiring as to whether or not Mr Galloway agreed with this notion, he stated that Mr Sharon is a man who ‘crushed, destroyed and invaded Lebanon, with phosphorous bombs filling the lungs of children being cooked to death’.
Comparing the situation to apartheid Africa, Galloway urges me to take part in the boycotting of Israeli goods.
Following the question of his current work, Mr Galloway talks of his latest project, ‘Viva Palestina’ in which numerous convoys on the 6th of December will leave East London armed with medical aid and food breaking the siege through France, Morocco, Egypt and into Gaza to arrive on the 27th. When asked about the significance of the dates mentioned, Mr Galloway mentions the anniversary of ‘cast lead’.
Fearful of his reaction, I then asked Mr Galloway about his response to the common belief that Hezbollah is a terrorist organisation. In addition I hesitantly mentioned the National Union of Students in the United Kingdom passing a motion condemning Galloway for not recognizing Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation as well as and in more recent times Canada banning Galloway from entering its doors. Galloway then stated in a forceful yet poignant manner, “I support Hezbollah as the Islamic resistence in Lebanon against Israeli occupation”.
George Galloway is a man who is undoubtably and without question not ignorant of the history of Hezbollah and asserts his position on the issue regardless. This is not a crime however one can argue that his recognized status in the world and his openness concerning these issues does provoke racist, discriminatory and prejudice sentiments which is a crime.
Galloway finishes the meeting with one last statement, “I have committed many sins, but will continue to do as much good until my final breath.”
