* Calls on people of conscience to join ongoing global intifada
Palestinian Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Abdullah Abu Shawesh, has lauded the bold move of young people from across the world, including students of higher institutions, to challenge the Zionists, noting that they are rewriting modern history and creating new political orders.
The Ambassador gave the commendation in a press statement issued on Thursday, May 9, a copy of which was made available to Muslim News.
Recall the student community in Inonu University, Turkiye on Friday, May 3 joined the global pro-Palestine protests that have spread across the world including US, the European Union (EU) tertiary institutions in solidarity with the people of Palestine, condemning Israeli genocidal war on Gaza.
They chanted slogans such as “Palestine will be free” and “Free Palestine from the river to sea” and held banners, calling on their countries’ leadership and management schools to immediately end cooperation with Israel and boycott pro-Israeli firms benefitting from the massacre.
Ambassador Abu Shawesh praised the pro-Palestine student protesters worldwide, urging every other person not to miss the opportunity to be part of the current global Intifada.
“Mass graves are unfortunate facts in Gaza today. We all need to remember Al-Tantura massacre and its mass grave. It’s not the Israeli-Hamas War, it’s the Israeli war against the Palestinian people. Also, it’s not a conflict; it’s the Israeli occupation. Don’t be part of Israeli Western propaganda and brainwashing,” the envoy noted.
“We are at an inflection point in history, with deep and real changes occurring before our eyes. The Intifada (uprising) that has erupted globally to support the just Palestinian cause, the falling of democracy, free speech, and human rights myths in the so-called free world indicate a new historical phase.
“The youth on campuses are challenging the Zionist scarecrows and sacred cows of anti-Semitism accusation that they used to stifle any critical voices against their brutal, vicious, and bloody policies and measures.
“Everyone has an essential role to play as a game-changer. The youth from around the world are rewriting modern history, changing the political discourse, and creating new political orders. Don’t miss this opportunity, be part of the current global Intifada, give your contribution, and make positive changes.”
‘It’s unprecedented in scale of death’
The Palestinian Ambassador lamented that the current war (which has entered Day 215 as at the time of filing this report on Friday) stands out as unprecedented in the scale of death, destruction, and human suffering it has incurred, with repercussions that will echo for generations to come.
According to him, “As of Tuesday, May 7, the number of Palestinian martyrs reached 34,789, with 78,204 injured. Since 7 October, 474 Palestinians, including 116 children, have been killed in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and about 5,000 have been injured.”
He went further to quote UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk who stated on April 23, 2024 that, “Every 10 minutes, a child is killed or wounded. They are protected under the laws of war, and yet they are the ones who are disproportionately paying the ultimate price in this war. At the same time, grave human rights violations were continuing unabated in the occupied West Bank. Despite international condemnation of massive settler attacks from 12-14 April facilitated by the Israeli Security Forces (ISF), settler violence has continued with the support, protection, and participation of the ISF.”
Syphoning Palestinian Government funds
The envoy noted that the Israeli war is not limited to military attacks on Palestinians alone, as they are also withholding clearing funds from the Palestinian government.
He added that famine is imminent in Gaza as half of its population face food insecurity due to the ongoing Israeli aggression, with thousands of pregnant women being part of the victims.
“During its field invasion of most of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army converted a number of schools into military bases and detention facilities. In a report published on 13 December 2023, Euro-Med revealed that the Israeli army had turned schools sheltering 10s of thousands of displaced people into military centers and field execution sites as part of its genocide against Palestinians.
“It is also important to point out that the Israeli war is not limited to military attacks, but extends to all aspects of life, the most important of which are financial deductions and withholding of clearing funds from the Palestinian government, which has put the latter in an ongoing dilemma for years and pushed the entire Palestinian society to the brink of the abyss.
Famine is imminent in Gaza
The Ambassador also raised concerns over imminent famine in Gaza as a result of the genocidal war, saying “half of its population, 1.1 million people face catastrophic food insecurity. This represents the highest share of a population ever recorded globally.”
According to him, among the 677,000 on the brink of famine are an estimated 15,000 pregnant women, heightening the risks for both mothers and newborns. Children’s acute malnutrition rates have doubled since January, with one in three children who are under two suffering from malnutrition. Palestinians in Gaza now constitute some 80 percent of all people facing famine worldwide.”
Abu Shawesh condemned the killing of aid workers including the United Nations staff by Israel’s multiple airstrikes. He said only a few hospitals are operating in Gaza with limited capacity as part of the fallout of the war.
“Only 12 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza and 22 of the enclave’s 88 primary health care facilities are “partially functional” today, according to the UN health agency. The hospitals are operating at limited capacity and overwhelmed with patients, grappling with critical shortages of fuel, medicines, supplies, and medical staff.
“The killing of seven aid workers of World Central Kitchen from multiple Israeli airstrikes on 1 April, 2024, was not an isolated incident. At least 254 aid workers have been killed (248 nationals, 6 foreigners), including 185 UN staff. This total includes the highest number of UN personnel killed in a conflict in the history of the organization.”
Acknowledges UNESCO
He acknowledged the award by UNESCO to Palestinian journalists for their brave and courageous work, while also revealing the atrocities committed against pressmen by the Israeli army.
“On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, UNESCO awarded the Palestinian journalists covering the Israeli genocidal war in Gaza the 2024 UNESCO Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize for their brave and courageous work. It is noted that the Israeli occupation army killed 135 press correspondents, detained another 100, with 45 of them under administrative detention, and 4 of them still missing,” he said.
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