By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The Palestinian Ambassador to Nigeria, Abdullah Shawesh has taken a swipe at Washington for blocking his country’s application to join the United Nations Security Council as full member.
The envoy faulted the excuse that his country’s full membership will hinder the two states’ solution, noting that it is neither here nor there.
According to him, the US’ action is a tacit support to Israel’s continuous attacks on Gaza.
“The US has vetoed a Palestinian request to the United Nations Security Council for full membership and becoming the 194th member state of the United Nations.
“The US said that the “full membership of Palestine in the United Nations will not help in reaching a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
“Not only did they repeat their unfair position and fully back the Israeli occupation but they also considered the Israeli brutal occupation a just conflict.
“The United States stands strongly against Palestinian legitimate rights. The United States is the iron shield of the Israeli occupation.
“The United States is against the Palestinians’ right to self-determination, which is a basic human right. The United States is the largest sponsor of the Israeli occupation.
“The US veto green light to the current Israeli genocide and entrenches the Israeli occupation. The current carnage and genocide could not have occurred without the full political complicity and unlimited military support of the United States. The USA took the same Israeli political stand of the Palestinian UN membership”, Shawesh said at the weekend in Abuja.
At least 34,183 Palestinians have been killed since the commencement of attacks on 7 October 2023, he noted.
He said 77,143 people were injured, 8,425 were arrested, including 280 women, 540 children, 45 journalists, and 5,210 administrative detentions.
The envoy explained that the figure of casualty “does not include the Gazans who have been arrested and forcibly hidden.”
Since Oct 7 when Hamas launched an attack on Israeli territory, killing scores of persons and abducting many, the fragile relations between Palestine and Israel deteriorated.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in response to the attack launched several counter attacks on Gaza, believed to be the strong hold of Hamas. He said Israel Defense Forces will not withdraw from the Gaza Strip until Hamas is wiped out of existence.
Netanyahu says he intends to press ahead with an invasion of the city of Rafah on the southern border of the Gaza Strip in defiance of United States President Joe Biden, who has warned such an offensive would be a “red line.”
At the early stage of the war, both US and France backed Israel but later warned that their support may be withdrawn over civilian casualties and humanitarian crisis that came with occupation of Gaza.
