In a powerful statement released on September 12, 2024, Abdullah M. Abu Shawesh, the Ambassador of the State of Palestine, addressed the continued devastation wrought by Israeli forces against the Palestinian people. After 342 days of relentless violence, which has seen mass murder, starvation, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure, Ambassador Shawesh decried the complicity of the international community, particularly the United States, in what he termed a "televised genocide."
As of September 11, 2024, the death toll has reached a staggering 41,000, with 95,000 wounded and 10,000 still missing under the rubble. Israeli forces have also detained over 10,400 Palestinians, subjecting them to severe ill-treatment, torture, and medical neglect. The ambassador expressed deep frustration with countries that often position themselves as champions of human rights but now turn a blind eye to blatant violations in Palestine, practicing what he called “the law of the jungle.”
Ambassador Shawesh highlighted the impact on Palestinian children, especially in Gaza, where more than 630,000 students were denied their right to attend school at the start of the 2024-2025 academic year. With 90% of government schools destroyed, and many UNRWA-run schools turned into shelters for displaced persons, education has become an increasingly distant hope for Palestinian youth. The ambassador noted with sorrow that 25,000 students had been killed, injured, or wounded since the beginning of the war.
Additionally, Ambassador Shawesh pointed to the starvation campaign initiated by Israel in October 2023, which has left 80% of Gaza’s population facing catastrophic hunger. He cited reports from OCHA, which show that the average number of humanitarian trucks entering Gaza has fallen dramatically to just 69 per day, far below the pre-crisis average of 500. The consequences of this siege have been dire, with dozens of infants and children perishing from starvation and dehydration.
The ambassador further criticized the US for its silence following the killing of American activist Aysinur Ezgi Eci in the West Bank, as well as the earlier murder of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. He questioned why these deaths of American citizens in Palestine were met with muted responses from the very government that supplies Israel with the weapons used in these attacks.
Ambassador Shawesh's statement underscores the immense human cost of the Israeli military campaign and calls for the international community to uphold the principles of human rights and international law, not just in words but in action.
The full statement below
September 12, 2024
342 days on, various Israeli army forces, under the direct command of political and military leaders, with full support and open complicity of the USA, continue to mass murder, wound, maim, starve, wanton destruction, displace, and dispossess Palestinian civilians in a vengeful and lethal campaign of televised genocide.On the 342nd day of the ongoing American-Israeli carnage against the Palestinian people, statistics reveal the tragic reality of one of the darkest stages in modern history.
Countries that proclaim themselves as the greatest defenders of human rights, countries that have been annoying us day and night with lectures about human rights violations and international law, are now blatantly disregarding international law and trampling on human rights principles in a brazen manner. America and Israel are essentially practicing the law of the jungle in broad daylight. Remember that: Devoured the day the white bull was eaten.
As of yesterday, September 11, the death toll had risen to 41,000, with 95,000 wounded and 10,000 still missing under the rubble and streets. Additionally, 10,400 Palestinians have been arrested and kidnapped since the beginning of the Israeli war, all of whom are subjected to the most severe forms of ill-treatment, torture, and medical neglect.September 9 is the International Day to Protect Education from Attack and it is also the first day of the 2024-2025 school year in Palestine. In Gaza, more than 630,000 students are deprived of their right to enroll in schools, 58,000 to enroll in universities, and 39,000 who did not take the high school exams.
The Israeli war left 25,000 students dead, mimed or wounded and led to the destruction of 90% of government school buildings. The majority of UNRWA-run schools that are still standing have been turned into shelters for internally displaced persons.“On 9 October 2023, Israel announced its starvation campaign against Gaza. By December, Palestinians in Gaza made up 80 per cent of the people in the world experiencing famine or catastrophic hunger. Never in post-war history had a population been made to go hungry so quickly and so completely as was the case for the 2.3 million Palestinians living in Gaza.”1“According to OCHA, between 1 and 31 August 2024, an average of only 69 humanitarian trucks entered the Gaza Strip per day.
This is well below the pre-crisis average of 500 trucks per working day.”2.The death toll among the children and infants due to starvation and dehydration is 37. In this connections, citing AMNESTY International, Israel expand the buffer zone along the perimeter with Gaza by confiscating approximately 58 km² amount to 16% of Gaza strip. 20km² or 59% of agriculture land within the area shows a decline in health and density of crops due to the ongoing war.3Last Friday, American weapons in the hands of Israelis killed American activist Aysinur Ezgi Eci in the occupied West Bank while she was expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people. The question here is, why did the US administration say nothing meaningful about her death and just mumble some empty words, repeating the same lip service it mentioned about the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh, the American Palestinian Christian?
Abdullah M. Abu Shawesh
Ambassador of the Embassy of the State of Palestine X – Tweeter: @AM_Shawesh
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