Duaik’s Press consultant: Duaik kidnap is a shame on world

 In 5 August 2006, the symbol of Palestinian legitimacy Dr. Aziz Duaik, the head of the Palestinian legislative council was kidnapped. This is the first anniversary for his brute kidnap that took place after the fairest elections in the world. Ikhwanweb interviewed his press consultant Mr. Bahaa Farah Youssif.

 First, a year has passed since the accident of detaining DR. Aziz Al-Duaik, what is your comment on this long absence?
 In my own point of views, I believe that his kidnap is a shameful slap on the face of the Palestinian leadership first and on the faces of Arab leaderships then on the faces of the world who claim democracy and chant for it. Dr. Duaik assumed the presidency of the legislative council through merely fair elections according to the witness of the whole world. There is no justified reason for his kidnap and this is the first accident in history. Noteworthy, meetings between some Palestinian figures and occupations give the occupation the green light to discriminate between Palestinians on accordance to the political affiliation, besides it gives immunity to others and deprives others.
 According to the detention of Dr. Duaik, how far this accident affected the work of the legislative council, especially under the context of kidnapping a large number from the majority of representatives from Hamas?
 Undoubtedly, this accident affected the regularity of the sessions of the legislative council within tense political situations between Fattah and Hamas where more than one thirds of the representatives from the legislative council are in the prisons of occupation. Within clouded circumstances, it is hard to hold  any session for the council and if sessions are to be held, no resolutions are to be taken unless in the presence of the majority of representatives of a certain bloc. Dr. Duaik played a momentous role in settling the disputes between Fattah and Hamas last year and he called for  national dialogue under the auspices of the legislative council but now there are neither  a mediator nor sponsor for the agreement between  warring factions.
 since you mentioned the disputes between Fattah and Hamas, the ferocity of the disputes increased more especially in the absence of Dr. Duaik  and despite the many appeals by the Palestinian prisoners, yet no body responded, so how do you see the future between the two movements under the frequent detention for the representatives of the legislative council especially the head of the council?
In my own point of view, these calls and appeals from prsions can do nothing as they are futile especially when knowing that there are figures who refuse to sit on the table of negotiations and this threatens the Palestinian cause since Hamas nad Fattah are the major factions on the Palestinian arena so the cause is in a deadlock.I also believe that there are some neighbor countries and also some parties in the Palestinian arena can play a role in reconciliation between the two movements through propounding initiatives that can be agreed upon from the part of the two movements or through using pressures and this is a persistent matter in the current time. We have noticed lately the widening of the gap between the two factions and this deepened the dissention between the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Going ahead to contain the crisis and call for unification is a necessity on all effective parties internally and externally.
 Yeah, what about DR. Duaik, we want to ask about the circumstances of his detention  and about his physical status under these circumstances ?
 Dr. Duaik is now in Megdo Prison under harsh conditions and there is no treatment offered to him  besides he is in need for undergoing a surgery to remove cysts, also he is suffering from disintegration in the fifth vertebrae and he suffers from complications in prison  and the administration of the prison refuses transferring him to a hospital to undergo the necessary surgery  or even offer him remedy.
 Since you are his press consultant, did you receive any International or Arab initiatives that call for releasing according to his physical status him or even checking about his health?
 This is a proof on the double-scale policy in dealing with Palestinians under occupation and the occupation itself  where we can see a shameful silence towards the issue of detaining the symbol of the Palestinian legitimacy where we can find fierce calls and resilient ones from the international community to release  “a Zionist soldier” captured by the resistance while no body calls for the release of 11 thousand Palestinian prisoners among which 45 representative from the legislative council are detained. This shameful silence is a great evidence on the international bias  for the occupation and the negligence of the Palestinians who suffer under occupation that spares no efforts in torturing the Palestinians to surrender.
 It is known that what Hmas has carried out in Gaza was welcomed with different response, did Dr. Duaik or any representative deliver a statement whether supporting or renouncing what has taken place?
  No he did not, but his attorney who visits him frequently said that Dr. Duaik asked Palestinians to unite and dialogue with each other in solving the problems.
  Duaik called also for maintaining the democratic choice  for the Palestinian people and to respect its will that was manifested in the legislative elections besides there should be a frequent holding up for the sessions without any delay in order to support the council in assuming its duties.
 Yeah, but what about the internal efforts  to solve the crisis of the kidnapped representatives, from the part of the authority, we did not haer any thing about efforts devoted for solving the crisis. While from the part of Hamas, we see the movement firm on its ideologies and refuse any negotiations about its axioms, in your own point of view, from which side shall the solution come?
 First, from the part of the authority there were no efforts just mere statements and we have noticed that during the meetings between Abbas and Olmert that Abbas”s convoy would pass before Ofu camp heading to Israel while at the same moments there were trials held inside the camp for Dr. Duaik and his cause where never discussed in the meetings between Abbas and Olmert. From the part of Hamas, the movement can never change its stances and this is a legitimate right  because its stances are the methodologies of resistors who believe in the Palestinian rights that can never be neglected like any resistance factions. Regarding the solution from which part, it seems that the solution is restricted to the developments in the cause of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit under the context of the absence of political developments on the Palestinian arena and the absence of the Arab and International pressures on occupation to settle the case.
  but we can see some détente in many crises created by the Israeli side where after the decree of administrative detention for the deputy of the premiere Dr. Nasser Al-Din Al-Sha”ir, we were surprised that the Israeli side released him immediately. Why does not the same scenario takes place with Dr. Duaik and other detainees although Dr. Al-Shai”r belongs to the Islamic resistance movement.
 We can differentiate between the two causes, Dr. Nasser Al-Din Al-Shai”r was a minister in the government formed by Hamas and was not a representative in the legislative council  like Dr. Duaik and other representatives ad the charge delivered by martial prosecution against them is their affiliation to “Change and Reform Bloc” where this bloc is a part of Hamas”s activities  in the legislative council, also Dr. Duaik used to carry out activities in supporting Hamas  through his position and this is non applicable in the case of Al-Shai”r.
 Do you expect any divergence in the case of  Dr. Duaik or not especially under the siege imposed on the Palestinians in Gaza where Gilad Shalit is detained?
 There is nothing clear in the case especially when knowing that the court is delaying the issuing of any decrees against Dr. Duaik for long periods. It seems that the court is waiting for developments in the case of the Israeli soldier, besides the whereases in the case of Dr. Duaik do not exist and the court refuses releasing him  especially within these current political developments and the attempts of the occupation to interfere in the Palestinian affairs. The occupation is supporting one party on the expense of another  in order to meet its demands and interests in order to quell resistance.