Gaza War: Palestinian Envoy Says Arab League, OIC Intervention May Yield Nothing against Western Support for Israel

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The Palestinian Ambassador to Nigeria, Abdullah Shawesh, has expressed pessimism over the success of the intervention of the Arab League/Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) mediation delegation in the ongoing Gaza war.

He insisted that the Western countries support for Israel may ultimately nullify whatever impact they could have made.

Shawesh, while addressing journalists in Abuja, on the ongoing war between Israeli force and Hamas, said as much as he and the people of Palestine appreciate and commend the efforts of the group towards ensuring ceasefire, the Western countries have blinded support for Israel which could make them thwart any effort to peaceful resolution.

The envoy who asked if the West had ever called for ceasefire since the beginning of hostilities, lamented that no fewer than 12,000 civilians had died since October 7, 2023, when Israel commenced the retaliatory offences.

He said majority of casualties have been children and women, while 2,000 persons are still missing.

Shawesh, while reacting on the mediation delegation which included Nigeria, said all the diplomatic efforts were good and necessary but that the Western countries that supply weapon and ammunition would not allow it to succeed.

He said: “The Arab League, the OIC, including our brother Nigeria and other international organisations established committees to stop what is happening in Gaza. The question is, are the efforts enough?

“Unfortunately, those countries, I mean, the western countries did not utter any single word of ceasefire. They declared that the ceasefire was not part of  what is on the table.

“This is the real problem. What the Arab League, the OIC and Nigeria and other respectful intergovernmental organisations are doing is highly appreciated by us. “

He also accused the Western media of spreading lies in their reportage of events. The envoy also said the excuse of Hamas using hospitals as tunnel were all tissues of lies.