aida touma sliman injerusalem, welcome to hardtalk. thank you, thank you stephen. it is a pleasure to have you on the show. it s a pleasure to have you on the show. let me ask you a simple first question how much has changed for you and for your community in israel since october the 7th? there was a life, that is not so easy before october 7th, but now it is unbearable after october 7th. we were thinking that our main struggle would be for peace, and the occupation of our own people in the west bank and gaza, and struggling for our rights to be equal citizens, and to have equality and to be able to develop our community in an equal way like thejewish community in israel. after october 7th, although before that we felt racism, after 7th october, we feel really threatened. we feel terrorised also on the establishment level from ministers and policies led by the government, and from the general public. we became suddenly as if terrorists in potential. i want to talk at length
aida touma sliman in jerusalem, welcome aida touma sliman injerusalem, welcome to hardtalk. aida touma-sliman in jerusalem, welcome to hardtalk. aida touma-sliman in jerusalem, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. it is a pleasure welcome to hardtalk. thank you. it is a pleasure to welcome to hardtalk. thank you. it is a pleasure to have welcome to hardtalk. thank you. it is a pleasure to have you - welcome to hardtalk. thank you. it is a pleasure to have you on - it is a pleasure to have you on the show. we ask you a simple first question, how much has changed for you and for your community in israel since 7 october? community in israel since 7 october? oh, you can think about it in october? oh, you can think about it in this october? oh, you can think about it in this way. - october? oh, you can think about it in this way. there i october? oh, you can think. about it in this way. there was about it in this way. there was a life, that is not so easy before 7 october,
starving now in gaza. there are indeed, thousands of starving now in gaza. there are indeed, thousands of children | indeed, thousands of children who have been killed in gaza, thousands of women, the latest death toll from the hamas run health ministry goes to 22,000 people in gaza. but again, i come to. people in gaza. but again, i come ton- people in gaza. but again, i come to. ., ., come to. and there are more under the come to. and there are more under the rubble. come to. and there are more under the rubble. we - come to. and there are more under the rubble. we don t - come to. and there are more l under the rubble. we don t know but there are under the rubble. we don t know but there are many under the rubble. we don t know but there are many people - under the rubble. we don t know but there are many people who l but there are many people who believe the death toll will run much higher. but again, i am mindful of you and your position. you are from a christian ar
civilians. who became victims of this assault, or the kidnap and hostages who are in gaza, part of them until today. in the beginning we understood that something is going on, and as you know until the evening we started to realise how big theissue we started to realise how big the issue is, and how much people are involved in that. didn t feel like an attack on you? i am very that amongst all of the victims there were, according to haaretz numbers, there were 2a arab citizens, i9 bedouin arab citizens citizens murdered, others that were taken hostage as well. you are a citizen of israel didn t feel like an on you? did it feel like an on you? did it feel like an attack on you? it felt like a chaotic situation,
we believe that he is bringing, in his policies and in his ideology, disasters. and we believe that it s better that he finish his position not today, not tomorrow, but yesterday. and any attempts to make this government fall down, we will be for sure part of it. this is very well known, our position, especially that we are me and my colleagues are a part of the only jewish arab palestinian party in israel, and we are the only ones jewish arab palestinian party in israel, and we are the only ones who are very clear in our policy against occupation, against war, and against damaging or hurting any civilians. but isn t the very difficult truth for you, as a long term believer that the only solution for these two peoples israelis and palestinians,