NASSER: U.S. SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL IS THE PROBLEM

Over a century ago, on 15 January 1918, Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser was born.

Nasser was an ambitious Pan-African and Pan-Arab who sought to return all of Palestine to the Palestinians. However, that dream was dealt a heavy blow when Israel's pre-emptive 1967 attack seized Egyptian-controlled Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula. During that war, Tel Aviv also took control of the West Bank from Jordan and the Golan Heights from Syria.

In this 1967 interview, he dished out advice that would serve US foreign policymakers well today if they were not hamstrung by the pro-Israel lobby. 

The US arming, funding and providing diplomatic cover at the UN Security Council continues to thwart the dream of millions of Palestinians to return to their land. Israel has k*lled over 46,000 Palestinians since 7 October 2023, according to the Palestinian Health Authority. However, the death toll may be as high as 186,000, according to medical journal The Lancet. Further, a 2025 Lancet report suggests authorities may have undercounted deaths by a staggering 41 per cent in the first 9 months of the Israeli onslaught.

As for Nasser, a heart attack took his life at the age of 52 in 1970. He left behind a legacy of Pan-Africanism and Pan-Arabism that many Africans continue to aspire to.

Credit: @HistoryofOccupation (YouTube)Sources:Nasser opposition to occupaton of Palestine

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2008/6/20/arab-unity-nassers-revolution 

1967 war

https://www.palestineportal.org/learn-teach/israelpalestine-the-basics/maps/maps-1967-to-present/ 

Gaza death stats

https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-gaza-war-palestinians-statistics-40000-7ebec13101f6d08fe10cedbf5e172dde 

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/10/deaths-from-israeli-attacks-in-gaza-undercounted-by-41-percent-study-finds

Lancet report

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/8/gaza-toll-could-exceed-186000-lancet-study-says 

US financial support for Israel

https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/09/politics/us-releases-billions-israel-weapons-military-equipment/index.html 

US diplomatic support for Israel

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/20/world/middleeast/us-vetoes-ceasefire-resolution.html 

https://www.cfr.org/article/us-aid-israel-four-charts