The French intellectual and writer Bernard Levy said that the mastermind of the Arab revolutions are the peoples themselves, and that he tried to help their success as much as possible.
Levy, in a television interview with the media personality Maria Maalouf justified his interest in Libya at the moment that the opportunity was given to the West for the first time to stand on the side of the people and not on the side of tyrants, noting that he remembers well with the start of the revolution in 2011 that the automatic reaction from Western governments was to stand with Gaddafi without justified thinking, saying that the West prefers stability and dealing with the “devil” they know according.
He wondered what would happen if the West decided to support the people even once and not side with the Gaddafi who was aiming his bullets at the people.
Relationship with Muslim Brotherhood
In response to his relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood and if he had allied with them to topple Gaddafi, Levy asserted that he was always opposed to Muslim Brotherhood because they were political and ideological competitors and were not enemies, stressing that the Brotherhood did not overthrow Gaddafi and his regime, but rather the entire people, which includes different sects, moderate, democratic and some pretenders, saying there were some Muslim Brotherhood, in addition to some liberals, citing his relationship with some such as Ali Zaidan and Mahmoud Jibril, noting that they were truly liberals and democrats, and they were really seeking to implement liberalism in Libya for a long time, but they failed to apply that to reality.
Representation of France
Levy stressed that his intervention in Libya does not represent France, but rather a personal intervention, describing these allegations as painful accusations. He denied being a former advisor to Sarkozy, but he spoke with him as he spoke with Hillary Clinton and some figures in the United Nations in addition to its president, because the revolution was an opportunity to achieve democracy and promote rights of human beings in Libya because democracy is a right for all people and not a privilege of Europe.
I am a proud Jew
When asked about his Judaism and its influence on his political mobility, Levy pointed to his pride in being a Jew as Muslims are proud of their religion and that this matter is not hidden, affirming his affiliation with France and French culture, indicating that his upbringing was completely secular and that his family was not interested in religion and that he reviewed the Bible when he grew up, indicating that it is a comprehensive book of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, denying what was attributed to him by likening the danger of Islam to Europe to the danger of fascism. He pointed out that there are some fascists in Europe now, and there are fascists in the Islamic world like Erdogan, and there are fascists in France itself like Mrs. Le Pen, who is Christian.
Erdogan’s Threats
Levy said that he received threats from Erdogan more than once, describing him as “mad”, and he also holds Levy responsible for overthrowing former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi even though Sisi was the one who “changed the force”, in addition to accusing him of trying to surrender Iraq when he met with the Kurds who had a referendum on for elections, stressing that Erdogan does not like him and he exchanges Erdogan with the same feeling, describing him as responsible for “Ottoman imperialism” and that he poses a threat to Europe, the West and the Islamic and Arab world.
The confiscation of the revolution
Regarding the current situation in Libya, Levy said that Erdogan “confiscated” the Libyan revolution by imposing his control over the parts of GNA because the Turkish forces and their allies from the forces brought in from Syria are the ones who actually possess the power on the ground and they are effectively “occupying” the land, which is not good for Libyans. He pointed out that the shooting he was exposed to during his recent visit to Libya is an assassination attempt, but he does not have any evidence about who is behind it and that it is an attempt to intimidate him.
Tracking his moves
Levy stressed that since his first visit to Libya, he was followed up on Facebook in Turkey and Qatar to monitor the people he will meet and where he will eat his lunch and the places he will visit, stressing that he received warnings from his guards about the danger of visiting Libya, but he chose to contribute to preserving the unity of the Libyans and to perform his duty, stressing that he did not receive any invitation to visit Libya, stating that he is a journalist and has obtained the entry visa himself to investigate the reality of what is happening in Libya.
He added that he was assured that Libya is not a free country and will not have enough freedom as long as the “old foot” of Turkey and the Muslim Brotherhood isn’t denied the presence of any Qatari forces on the ground, expressing his belief that they control matters through funds and support, and that they are working with Turkey to “kidnap” the will of the Libyans towards democracy.
Protection of Bashagha
When asked about the Interior Minister-designate Bashagha, Levy denied meeting him, saying that he was responsible for providing him with protection in Libya because he was responsible for ensuring that he would not be subjected to abuse or to be treated with “rudeness” based on his position, but Bashagha was not sympathetic to him and therefore he is not sympathetic to Bashagha.
On the other hand, Levy admitted that he did a good job when he survived the assassination attempt in Tarhuna, because of the protection he provided to him in addition to the police forces that accompanied him, saying he’s grateful to Bashagha for that.
Solving the crisis
Regarding the solution of the Libyan issue, Levy stressed that the room should be left open for the Libyans themselves to decide, and that as long as Libya is a land for Erdogan and Putin’s military “adventures”, this will never be achieved, stressing that if the Libyans are given the opportunity and left to decide their destiny, the future will be bright in front of them.
