Gaza War: Envoy Calls for Immediate Ceasefire, Address of Root Cause of Crisis

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The Palestinian Ambassador to Nigeria, Abdullah Shawesh has asked Nigeria and other countries to call for immediate ceasefire in Gaza, even as he insisted that the only acceptable solution to the ongoing war is to address the root cause of the conflict between Palestine and Israel.

Shawesh while noting that the attack on Israeli territory on October 7, 2023 was a smoke as the fire was long ignited by United Kingdom who handed over Palestinian land to European Jews in 1917, noted that to have a lasting truce it has become imperative to institute the two-state solution backed by United Nations.

He also declared the two sides should be made to return hostages in their custody, noting that apart from Palestinian hostages held by the Israeli government before the ongoing impasse over 1,600 hostages have been taken from Palestinian soil by Israeli military, adding that while Hamas is being asked to return the hostages, Israel should also be told to do same.

The envoy while addressing journalists in Abuja on Wednesday said the two-state solution calls for establishing an independent state for Palestinians alongside that of Israel, while insisting that the underlying issue in the present crisis was not the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas but rather the occupation of Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem.

He claimed that the October7 attack on Israeli territory was a natural reaction against the oppression of the Israeli forces, who he alleged has incessantly arrested, tortured and detained Palestinians without any provocations.

The envoy who gave a historic perspective to the issue, blamed the Western world, especially United Kingdom who he said handed over their land to European Jews in 1917.

He also accused the Western world of paying lip service to the call for ceasefire, alleging that without the support of the West the Israeli would not have been able to sustain the war.

The envoy also accused the media of cover-up, saying most of the atrocities against the people of Palestinians are not reported, noting that the urgent need right now is cessation of hostility and not the humanitarian aids.

He said: “This current war would not have continued without the unconditional and unequivocal support of the Western countries to Israel. We all witnessed the mass visits by Western leaders not only to provide their full military and political support for the current genocide.

“They also have used extremely unbalanced language in commenting on the current ongoing war against the Palestinian people, which was interpreted by the Israeli as the green light to commit more massacres.

“One of the goals of this war is to forcefully transfer the Palestinian people to Sinai Peninsula, to implement the old Israeli dream that we have been fighting against since 1956.

“Many are still trying to divert the discussion from the unconditional ceasefire to the humanitarian aids and how many trucks need to enter to Gaza and many other logistical details.”

This is a trap to pave the way for the Israeli occupation to continue with their genocidal and war crimes.

“No one should be trapped, we all should address the roots of the current humanitarian crises in Gaza, which is the frenzied Israeli war. What we need urgently is the ceasefire.

“All the world streets are flooded with demonstrators calling for an immediate ceasefire.”

The envoy also added that there should be equality in the application of international law, insisting that: “All human being are born free and equal in dignity and rights. The applicability of the international law should not be selective.”

Israel has been bombing Gaza since the 7 October in response to Hamas attacks that killed 1,400 people with 239 people kidnapped as hostages.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says more than 8,700 people have been killed since Israel’s retaliatory bombing began.