Time to end Gaza's bloodbath
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas favours the release of all Israeli hostages held captive in Gaza since the conflict began between Israel and Palestine on 7 October 2023. However, he also wants Israel to release all Palestinians that they have detained.
“It’s been more than 650 days since the war began and there is famine-like situation in Gaza,” Abdullah Mohammed Abu Shawesh, Palestinian Ambassador to India, told Business India. “Our President Abbas is in favour of releasing all Israeli hostages and hopes that it will be reciprocal and that all Palestinians detained in Israel will be released too”.
The death toll on the Palestinian side is said to be about 66,000, which includes many women and children. This has urged many world leaders to rethink their stand on this conflict. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are amongst those who have stated that they would be willing to recognise Palestine as a separate state.
“The level of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable and it is rapidly deteriorating,” said Canadian PM Carney. “Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed. Thousands more are on the brink of famine. Canada condemns the fact that the Israeli government has let the situation deteriorate in Gaza to this extent”.
Canada has also stated that its decision was based on the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to essential reforms. They include President Mahmoud’s promise to hold general elections in 2026, in which Hamas cannot take part; and also, not to militarise the Palestinian state.
“Elections will be held as per schedule,” affirmed Ambassador Shawesh. “Anyone who decides to contest (which could include Hamas) has to follow the principles of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) that was founded in 1964. We would also like to hold elections in East Jerusalem”.
India was amongst the first to recognise the Palestinian state in 1988. And, in 1996, India opened its representative’s office in Gaza, which was later shifted to Ramallah. At present, 147 countries have recognised Palestine.
Not a Jews vs Muslims issue
Interestingly, Ambassador Shawesh feels that the ongoing conflict between the two nations is not a Jews vs Muslims issue. “I can speak a bit of Hebrew,” he added. “I would like to share that there were many Palestinian Jews occupying positions of importance in the Cabinet. We had Christians too at significant positions. The ongoing conflict is primarily to force us to vacate the land we live in and that’s what we are not willing to do”.
Gaza has borders with Jordan and Egypt and neither of them has so far been able to extend any help to Palestine. Perhaps, it’s because both the borders are manned by Israel, Ambassador Shawesh felt.
The ambassador, who originally hailed from Barqa, was born in a refugee camp in Gaza. Before coming to India, he spent eight years in New York where he served at the Permanent Mission of the State of Palestine in the United Nations.
He is of the opinion that the only way to end the conflict was for the world to temporarily block Israel. “Russia has imposed thousands of sanctions on Ukraine after their conflict began. What about Israel? Shouldn’t they be sanctioned to prevent further brutality,” he asked. The ambassador abstained from commenting on the 7 October attack of Hamas on Israel, but did say that, prior to the 7 October incident, many Palestinians were killed too.
“India has extended a lot of humanitarian aid to us,” he added. “But we expect more support from India in the days ahead. Having been under the colonial rule for a long time, India would be able to understand what the Palestinians are going through in Gaza. And we will continue to resist the aggression, until we regain control of our land”.