Maureen Okpe
The Palestinian Ambassador to Nigeria, Abdullah Shawesh has decried the continuous killing of Palestinian citizens by Israel, expressing concern over the silence of western countries as death tolls increase.
Shawesh who stated this in press release in Abuja made available to Global Sentinel on Tuesday, stressing that the Palestine, particularly Gaza Strip have been in turmoil and unlivable as Israel continue to attack.
He lamented over the unprovoked attacks, insisting the war between Palestine and Israel did not begin on October 6, 2023.
The Ambassador stated his disappointment over the resolution at the General Assembly especially to countries who did not support the adoption and allied with Israel supporting the wanton killings of innocent Palestinians.
The statement reads, “with a pain deeply entrenched on the bottom of my heart, I stand before you on the 74 days of the unfolding text book genocide on Palestine conducted by the Troika of death: many western countries complicit in providing complete military, financial and political support, the Israeli dirty hands and the hypocrisy, double standers of the international community in large.
“By closing their eyes, turning their backs, and tolerating Israel, using October 7th as a Trojan horse, the world left us to face the most horrific butchers in current history.
“In the Gaza enclave, the death toll has surpassed 20,000 Palestinians, with 54,000 injured and 4,000 jailed. Additionally, nearly 6,000 people are still missing under the rubble, and there is currently no way to reach out to them. 35 members of the rescue teams and 135 international staff, mainly from the UNRWA, have been killed. In the West Bank, nearly 290 Palestinians have been killed, 3,300 injured, and 3.500 jailed in the Israeli prisons, all within the last 74 days.
“Gaza is no longer a livable place, and this has been the declared intention of the Israeli government from the beginning. Their aim is not only to terrorize and traumatize the Palestinian people, but also to enforce them to leave the enclave.
“In a grave violation of the rules of engagement, the Israeli occupation forces killed three Israeli hostages who had apparently managed to flee on Friday, December 15. Despite holding a white flag and shouting in Hebrew as they approached an Israeli army unit seeking shelter, they were still shot and killed. This unfortunate incident serves as further evidence of Israel’s ongoing dedication to committing war crimes and targeting innocent people, even when they are unarmed, naked and waving a white flag.
“As part of its systematic and deliberate policy of targeting the voice of truth, the Israeli army drone targeted Al-Jazeera journalist Samer Abudaqa and injured him in Khan Younis. Adding insult to injury, according to Al Jazeera, the Israeli force prevented ambulances and rescue workers from reaching and evacuating Samer, leaving him bleeding for 5 hours. The International Federation of Journalists reported that 72% of journalists who died on the job this year were killed in Gaza. Additionally, the Committee to protect Journalists stated that the death toll among Palestinian media workers in the last 70 days was 57.
“According to the Euro-Med Rights Monitor, in Gaza the death bodies were targeted by the Israeli military force. Where the bombardments targeted several cemeteries in Gaza, leaving widespread destructions, vandalizing some graves, and many dead bodies have been stolen. “Large holes have been created inside these cemeteries as a result of frequent Israeli attacks, engulfing dozens of graves. The remains of some dead bodies have been scattered or disappeared, while dozens of graves remain seriously damaged.
“While many western countries and Israel talk about the day after the war and their thoughts for Gaza, they all fail to address the day before, the day after, which is the last day of the war and when exactly this day will come. So far, no one has tackled this very important point and they have all left it in the hands of the Israeli War Cabinet.
“Not only that, but the continuous flooding of weapons and ammunition to the Israeli Army stores has made this day very far away. This is not the end of the mockery; they are deciding on our behalf the shape of the new order in Gaza and the characteristics and requirements of our future leaders.
“Everything is being dictated to us, and we are expected to accept it as is, another attempt to increase the dose of the pain-killer to avoid addressing the main source of the problem, which is the Israeli Brutal Occupation.
*On Thursday, December 12th, the General Assembly successfully passed a resolution with 153 positive votes, calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the protection of civilians, as well as upholding legal and humanitarian obligations. However, some countries did not support the adoption of this resolution, and some even blindly allied themselves with the Israeli occupation, voting against the resolution. This sends a clear message of their political support for the ongoing butchery against innocent Palestinian citizens.
“Among the thousands of loved ones we buried, we also came to realize that international law has long been dead. The myth of humanism, democracy, and freedom of expression has died, but for
a long time we believed it was still alive and breathing.
“On December 10, the international community celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. However, there is a glaring inconsistency in the adherence to its principles when it comes to the Palestinian people. Many countries fully adhere to the declaration when it benefits them politically, but fail to do so when it concerns the rights of Palestinians. This hypocrisy calls into question the universality of the declaration. It is meant to be a declaration of human rights for all, but it is not being universally upheld.
“Netanyahu has equated October 7 with the signing of the Oslo Accord. Politically speaking, he is doing his utmost to open another war front in the West Bank by inciting against Palestinian leaders. Sheltering and backing settler gangs in them on Palestinians, and openly denouncing the signed agreement.
“Even if the military aggression comes to an end, we will all wake up the next day to irreversible facts. A systematic and deliberate process is currently underway to settle Gaza and change the landscape, making it an unlivable place. This will inevitably lead to deportation, displacement, and a new NAKBA. We need a true divine miracle to prevent the erasure of Gaza from existence, as long as Israel is shielded from the consequences of its crimes, this situation will continue.
“The tragic stories should not be told to children as bedtime tales, but rather to awaken and inspire decent people to fulfill their moral duties.”