2023-12-13 10:39:21
Palestinian foreign minister gathers broad international support in Geneva
On the sidelines of the celebrations for the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, around 200 people gathered at the initiative of the Palestinians in a UN room. From Iran to Saudi Arabia via Indonesia, the head of Palestinian diplomacy brought together numerous foreign ministers and ambassadors to call on the international community to act in support of the Palestinians in Gaza.
Riyad Al-Maliki affirmed that the situation in the Gaza Strip is “apocalyptic”hours before the UN General Assembly votes on a resolution demanding “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip. Mr. Al-Maliki denounced the failure of the international community to “take responsibility”asserting that “What is happening in Gaza is a dark stain on the conscience of humanity”.
Dozens of countries, including Bahrain, Tunisia, the Maldives, Cuba, Venezuela, Algeria, the Philippines, Turkey, then took the floor to express their support for the Palestinians. The French and British ambassadors were also present in the room, but did not speak, like other countries.
The Palestinian Foreign Minister greets his Saudi counterpart, Faisal Ben Farhan, in Geneva, December 12, 2023. DENIS BALIBOUSE / REUTERS
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal Ben Farhan, for his part, called for an end to the situation in Gaza, because “allowing the crisis to continue will have a detrimental impact on regional peace and security”. “International security and the credibility of UN bodies are affected by the selective implementation of international law”he assured. “The situation is not acceptable. »
At the same table, his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, gave him his support for Hamas, which he describes as “of the Palestinian liberation movement”. “War is not the solution. Israel and the United States will never be able to eliminate Hamas. (…) There is only one political solution”he said.
“We must resume negotiations”then added the Libyan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Eltaher Elbaour, calling on the populations to “take to the streets and put pressure” on governments to make “stop the atrocities” in Gaza.
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