The Palestinian Ambassador in Nigeria, H.E. Abdullah M. Abu Shawesh has said: a killer remains a killer regardless of his victim.
He stated this in Abuja, on Friday, January 19, 2024 during a world press conference on the ongoing genocide by the Israeli Occupation Forces in Gaza.
“When fascist ideology ravages a society, the prevailing idea is that if you are not with me, then you are my enemy. So far none of the Israeli leaders have mentioned proportionate response. They still insist and threaten that this war will continue during 2024, and this means more thousands of innocent Palestinians are on their way to their graves.
“At the time of completely failing to achieve any of the two main goals of the war, the Israeli Prime Minister added another goal recently, which is full control of the 14-kilometer border between Gaza and Egypt. This is a clear attempt to extend the war for more months to come to avoid his trial.
“It became very clear to everyone that this devastating war is to accomplish two goals only, which are to maintain Netanyahu in his current office and to further distance himself from responsibility for October 7, and as an addition, to fill the bank accounts of the weapons producers.”
On the case of genocide instituted against Israel by South Africa at the United Nations International Court of Justice, Shawesh said:
“I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the political leaders and people of South Africa for their strong moral stance and for standing steadfastly in support of intenational law and justice by suing Israel for its genocide of the Palestinian people, the occupying power, before the United Nations International Court of Justice. In this regard, we also urge all countries that side with Israel’s acts of genocide and are neglecting to condemn Israel’s war crimes to acknowledge what is actually happening and to review their moral and legal position.
“Three things cannot be hidden for long: the sun, the moon, and the truth. The truth is that the behavior of the Israeli government is in fact forms of genocide against the Palestinian people.
“South Africa submitted an 84 page document crammed with devastating evidence that Israel is breaching its legal obligation under the 1948 international Genocide Convention. The Convention defines genocide as the “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part. a national, ethnical, racial or religious group. This definition is wholly applicable to the Israeli political and military leaders’ declared positions, and which prove the intent and their military acts on the ground prove the Israeli government is violating and breaching the Convention.
“The declaration of the Israeli Prime Minister, reminding the Israeli population about the Old Testament and of the carnage of Amalek and to “spare no one, but kill alike men and women, infants and suckling.” The war minister Gallant vowed that “Gaza won’t return to what it was before – we will eliminate everything.
“Also the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure pledged they will not receive a drop of water or a single battery until they leave this world.”
On the untold human cost and sufferings in Gaza, the Ambassador revealed that:
“On the 103rd day of the Israeli frenzied genocide campaign against the Palestinian people, the casualty numbers are growing and growing and many respected international governmental organizations issued countless reports that we can all refer to for the accurate statistical information.
“Between 7 October 2023 and 12 January 2024, at least, 23, 708& Palestinians were killed in Gaza, and 60,005 Palestinians were injured.”
“Since 1l October 2023. the Gaza Strip has been under electricity blackout, after the Israeli authorities cut off the electricity supply and fuel reserves for Gaza ‘s sole power plant were depleted.”
“Since 7 October 2023 … and as of 12 January 2024, 333 Palestinians have been killed. including 84 children, across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem… Of those killed in the West Bank (333): 324 were killed by Israeli forces, eight by 1sraeli settlers and one by either Israeli forces or settlers …. The numnber of Palestinians killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 2023 (507) marks the highest number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since 0CHA Started recording casualties in 2005”.
“Since 7 October 2023 .. and as of 12 .January 2024, 4,176 Palestinians, including 631 children, were injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Of them, 4,046 have been injured by Israeli forces, 109 by settlers and 21 by either Israeli forces or settlers “2 Israel is waging a war of starvation and pushing the Palestinian economy faster towards the already clearly ravaging disaster. For the third month in a row, Israel refuses to transfer the Palestinian clearance funds to the Palestinian government, leaving it unable to pay its employees salaries and other financial obligations.
“The lack of drinking water in the Strip has become a matter of life and death”, “Residents currently forced to drink unclean well water, which is contributing to the spread of transmitted and infectious diseases, especially amid the power outage and overall water supply shortage”, are It is absolutely inhumane to see countries with the largest military naval forces in the world moving to protect shipping and trade lines in the Red Sea, but we do not see them moving or even raising their voices to stop the acts of genocide taking place in the occupied Palestinian territories that we are seeing on the news.
“What makes matters worse, is that many of these countries are fully complicit in the ongoing genocide in Palestine by providing Israel with military means and ammunition, in addition to unconditional and unlimited political support. More than 90 per cent of the population is now suffering from acute food insecurity, and many are on the brink of avoidable human-made famine. We recall that starvation of the civilian population as a method of war is prohibited.’