By Mohammed Bello Doka
In a press release issued on September 26, 2024, His Excellency Abdullah M. Abu Shawesh, Ambassador of the Embassy of the State of Palestine, delivered a powerful and searing condemnation of the international community's response to the ongoing atrocities in Gaza and the West Bank. Highlighting the dire humanitarian crisis, Ambassador Abu Shawesh decried the hypocrisy of Western powers, particularly their unwavering support for Israel’s military actions while neglecting the rights and suffering of Palestinians.
Ambassador Abu Shawesh provided harrowing statistics, revealing that 41,467 Palestinians have been martyred, and 95,921 have been injured in Gaza as of September 24, 2024. In the West Bank, 717 Palestinians, including children, women, and the elderly, have also been killed. Over 10,600 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons, facing inhumane conditions and a lack of medical care. The Ambassador further called on international organizations, including the Red Cross, to intervene and pressure Israel to open its prisons for proper visitation and ensure detainees are treated in line with international law.
Ambassador Abu Shawesh pointed out that this tragedy represents a broader litmus test for the global community, urging nations to take a moral stand against the injustices being committed. He expressed gratitude to the Nigerian government and people, acknowledging Vice President Mr. Kashim Shettima for his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, in which Nigeria reaffirmed its support for Palestine’s right to freedom and the two-state solution.
Below is the full statement from Ambassador Abdullah M. Abu Shawesh:
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**Press Release**
*September 26, 2024*
When the world is ruled by criminal gangsters, thugs, and bandits;
When hypocrisy and double standards become the norm in many Western media outlets;
When criminal leaders brazenly repeat Israel’s right to defend itself, and turn their backs on the Palestinians’ right to defend and liberate themselves;
When you are all accused of anti-Semitism if you refuse to consume the canned beliefs about Israel or challenge the hollow justifications of its crimes;
When the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court announces that he has been threatened and warned that the ICC was created only for Africans and Russia;
When the logic of power topples the power of logic;
When might creates right;
Then it is natural to begin this press release by saying: 356 days of horrific and televised genocide committed by Israel with the full funding, support, blessing, and complicity of the United States of America and some other Western countries.
As of Wednesday, September 24, in Gaza, 41,467 Palestinians have been martyred and 95,921 injured. In the West Bank, 717 Palestinians were martyred, including 160 children, 10 women, and 9 elderly individuals. Additionally, 222 UNRWA staff members have been killed.
As of Monday, September 23, 10,600 Palestinians were detained in Israeli prisons and concentration camps. This includes 17 parliamentary members, 100 university students, 8,872 individuals subject to arbitrary administrative detention, 735 children, and 410 women. These numbers are only from the West Bank. According to estimates, thousands more were detained from Gaza over the last 11 months. Diseases like scabies are spreading due to unsanitary conditions and a lack of medical care. We call on the Red Cross and relevant international organizations to pressure Israel to open its prisons for visits and to ensure that Palestinian detainees are treated in accordance with international law.
Yesterday, the Palestinians stopped the procedures for receiving a truck belonging to the Red Cross containing approximately 88 bodies that the occupation had kidnapped from the Gaza Strip. This was due to a lack of data or information indicating the knowledge of their owners and the places where they were recovered. We call on the Red Cross to fulfill its duties in accordance with the internationally applicable protocols regarding the receipt and delivery of bodies. We also call on the Red Cross and relevant international organizations to pressure Israel to open its prisons for visits and to ensure that Palestinian detainees are treated in accordance with international law.
“In July 2024 alone, 21 strikes on schools serving as shelters were recorded across the Gaza Strip. As a result, over 270 people were killed and dozens injured. Among the casualties were women and children, older people, and other civilians. The war has robbed every boy and girl in Gaza of their childhood and education.… More than 625,000 students have been out of learning since the war began. They have all witnessed unimaginable atrocities no child should go through.”
I am grateful to the government and people of Nigeria for their support of the Palestinian people's right to freedom and independence at the United Nations General Assembly. Vice President Mr. Kashim Shettima delivered a national speech endorsing these rights and the two-state solution.
Palestine and the Palestinian tragedy are the litmus test for everyone around the world.
Abdullah M. Abu Shawesh
Ambassador of the Embassy of the State of Palestine
X – Tweeter: @AM_Shawesh
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