Palestinian Ambassador Husam Zomlot has emphasized the importance of mass protests in renewing peace negotiations with Israel, describing widespread activism as a means to gain moral authority and exhaust the occupying forces. His remarks were made during an appearance on the "World of Trouble" podcast.

Zomlot argued that involving broader segments of Palestinian society in protests could strengthen their position in the conflict. "When you involve the entire society, you actually have the moral high ground, and you actually can drain your occupier of its energy," he stated.

The ambassador’s comments come amid a decline in Western bipartisan support for Israel and a rise in violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. Zomlot reflected on his own experiences growing up in a Gaza refugee camp before relocating to the United Kingdom.

In discussing the history of the Palestinian struggle, Zomlot criticized the leadership under the late Yasser Arafat, particularly the decision in the 1990s by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to officially end violent resistance against Israel as part of the Oslo peace process. He suggested that this move was a misstep and described it as falling into “another Israeli trick.”

He also challenged the conventional framing of Palestinian actions as violence, pointing to international law for a contrasting perspective. According to Zomlot, resistance by Palestinians is recognized under a 1973 United Nations General Assembly resolution, which affirms the right to armed resistance specifically targeting occupation forces. "You call it violence. International law has a different interpretation," he said.

Zomlot’s views highlight ongoing tensions over the definitions and legitimacy of resistance and violence within the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, an issue that remains deeply contested in international forums and public discourse.