Root causes of Israel-Palestine conflict must be addressed: TMC

• Condemns Israel for violating international laws, agreements

Says Palestinians have right to self-determination, defense of their land

A faith-based organisation in Nigeria, The Muslim Congress (TMC), has described the continued indifference of world leaders on the crisis between Israel and Palestine as disheartening.

In a statement signed by its President Alhaji Bangbala Taiwo Abdulwasiu and issued on Friday, October 13, 2023, the group noted that the lack of effective intervention from world leaders is prolonging the suffering of the Palestinian people and hampering the prospects of a just and lasting peace.

TMC condemned the violence and loss of innocent lives resulting from the recent outbreak of war between Gaza and Israel.

It said it was essential to address the root causes of the conflict to achieve a lasting resolution.

“However, the reactions that greeted the latest hostility actually underscores why the conflict, which has been on for more than seven decades, has seemingly seen a lasting resolution elusive. The responses of powerful Western nations and their apparatus, including the media, have been nothing but hypocritical and reek of sheer bigotry,” the statement read.

“Rather than addressing the conflict for what it actually is, the West continues to run with the delusory narrative that it is an attack on Israel by terrorists, ostensibly putting the blame on Hamas and ignoring the fact that it is retaliation by a people whose freedom and rights to their land had been forcefully taken away from them. They refuse to admit the offensive was initiated by freedom fighters who are up against age-long injustices by an apartheid regime that has ceaselessly perpetrated genocide on Palestinians.”

The Muslim group accused Israel of playing the victim, noting it has been a winning ticket that earned it military, political and economic aid from the West.

TMC also berated Israel for violating international laws and agreement it signed, calling on world leaders to urgently check the defiance of Israel which has made peace difficult.

“Israel has over the years continued, with impunity, the systematic expansion of its occupation of Palestinian land, in defiance of international law and in violation of the agreements it had signed. Its settlers-colonialism continued unabated and with no respect for the 1949 Armistice borders and the Oslo Accords. Israel has done this by killing Palestinian civilians daily and with reckless abandon through direct force of arms, thus breaking one of the basic fundamental rules of war. Armed Jewish settlers are enabled to attack Palestinian civilians and their property. The UN recognizes Israel’s violation of international law but no sanctions have followed, making the so-called international law unworthy of the papers it is written on.

“Since 2007, Gaza has been under blockade as Israel’s apartheid regime leaves the Palestinians condemned to what is no more than a prison camp. Gaza’s electricity, water and other supplies of basic provisions are under Israeli control. The people are being brought to their knees by the shortages of the basic necessities. Nearly 300 Palestinians, including children, have been killed by Israeli forces this year alone, long before this latest outbreak of hostilities. No less than four major military offensives have been carried out against the Palestinians in Gaza since 2008, as thousands of civilian lives have been extinguished in these and other Israeli attacks. The Israeli’s indiscriminate and aggressive terrorism has remained relentless.

“We firmly believe that the situation requires urgent attention and action from the international community, including the United Nations and other relevant stakeholders. The continued indifference and lack of effective intervention from world leaders is disheartening, as it prolongs the suffering of the Palestinian people and hampers the prospects of a just and lasting peace.

“In light of these circumstances, The Muslim Congress calls for active, honest and sincere engagement and mediation by the UN and world leaders in order to bring about an immediate cessation of hostilities and facilitate meaningful dialogue between all parties involved. The international community must recognize and respect the rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination, and work towards a just and lasting solution that ensures the establishment of an independent and viable Palestinian state. We urge all the parties involved to prioritize the protection of civilian lives, adhere to international humanitarian law, and refrain from any action that would further escalate the conflict and cause unnecessary suffering.”

The group said it stands with the Palestinian people during these challenging times, while calling for an immediate end to the violence and the restoration of peace in the region.

“We implore the Muslim ummah and people of conscience worldwide to raise their voices, engage in peaceful advocacy, and support humanitarian efforts to alleviate the suffering of those affected by the conflict,” it added.