Okikiola Qasim
Ever since the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, the Arab Palestine who remained on their land have been subjected to blackmail through tens of Israel laws and regulations to strip the Palestinian inhabitant of their processions. And sorrowfully, it all started in the year 1948, when the Zionist organizations drove away millions of Palestinians and thereafter, the ruling Israeli foundation did the same to the land side majority of the Palestinians.
The Israeli entity remained with the scaffold and circumstance of the limits and border in which it was created. In 1948, about 153 thousand persons, 25% of whom were refugees in their country, were displaced and their villages vandalized. Israel imposed a military rule on Palestine and this continued until 1966. Implementation of various schemes relating to restriction of movements also continues until 1967.
The 2016 international Day for Supporting the Rights of Palestinian in Israel has come to stand; this year edition was held at the Embassy of the State of Palestine in Abuja on the 30th of January, 2016. Every 30th of January day has been set aside for the solidarity and the freedom of the state of Palestine. It is also an internationally recognized day for the solidarity for the Palestinians under the occupation of Israel since 1948. Dignitaries from all works were present at the events; this includes prominent Nigerians and prominent Palestinians living in Nigeria. Heads of Islamic Organizations, Islamic religious leaders, Christian religious leaders, educationist, union group, youth organizations and many prominent Nigerians graced the occasion.
The deputy Ambassador, Mr Ahmed Kashash who delivered the Embassy statements on behalf of the Ambassador Salah Fheid said, Isreali entity promulgated more than 42 laws to facilitate its government’s bid to overtake the Arab territory. The Palestine Arabs owns 80% of the territory then, but as at today, they now own only 3.5 % of the lands. The plan to overtake the Arab territory is still intact till today, the dangerous of which goes on in Al-negev desert.
The Israeli entity stepped up its destruction of the villages and houses in various areas belonging to the Arab Palestine in recent month. And within the space of five years, Araqeeb village has been destroyed 93 times. And Israel has since created more than 1000 villages and towns in the territories had taken over from Palestinians.
Now, they perpetrate racial discrimination in Al-Naqab desert where they have destroyed over 30 villages, displaced 40 thousand Palestinians and overtaken 800,000 acres of land. On these lands, they had embarked on building settlement for jewish extremist group. Recently, it issued serious laws against Palestinians, the latest of which was the forceful feeding of prison inmates who embarked on hunger strike and child imprisonment.
We condemn strongly the terrorist acts carried out by Israeli extremist sect against Islamic and Christian holy places. On a daily basis, they attempt to litter and stain the blessed Al-Aqsa mosque and the Islamic inscriptions on it. This is apart from their invasion and attack on churches, the latest being the grave of the holy Mary in occupied Jerusalem. They wrote racial slogans and drawings full of hatred and enmity against Christian Palestinians.
My dear brothers and sisters here-present, this is the fact of the bitter experience our Palestinians people go through in the territory of 1948 and in western bank and Gaza strip. We hereby appeal to the Nigerian Government, Nigerians and whole world to provide international protection for our people and our holy place (Islamic and Christians), persuade Israel to implement the resolutions of the international security council and trial of Israel occupation leaders as war criminal just as Mr. President, Mahmud Abbas, call for a special international conference on Palestinian matters.
We promise the world that we are determined to remain in our territory until we attain our due right. These include return of Palestinians refuges to their towns and villages and creation of a Palestinian State and its Capital, Al-Quds Sherif (Jerusalem).
On the final note, on behalf of the president and people of Palestine, I thank our Nigerians brothers; The President, people and every spectrum of this great people for standing by the Palestinians brothers.
We look forward to seeing more relationship and co-operations. I thank my fellow diplomatic, our dear Palestinians and Arab communities in Nigeria for attending this great occasion, Mr Ahmaem Kashash concluded.
astoundingly, all these suppressive measures clearly show the level at which the Israeli legislators and the executive bodies disrespect international laws and regulations that proscribe the appropriation and confiscation of land and reject the restriction on public liberties and racial and religious discrimination.
In my opinion, I harmonize to the general view of the people internationally and otherwise that Israeli is trying to empty the land from its indigenous people, to take over from them what is left from their properties and to put an end to Christians and Muslim presence in Israel to fulfil the desire of successive Israeli government to realize the ’’Jewishness of the state’’ that was established through settlements, occupation, and the dreadful Zionist scheme.
Therefore, the 30th of January comes as an initiative from the Palestinian leaders, faction, and parties representing the Arab Palestinians citizens in Israel, from the state of Palestine (occupied Territories) and from the Palestinians in the Diaspora.
The initiative led to the formation of a preparatory committee whose task was to appeal to brethren and friends of the Palestinians throughout the globe to oppose repression of the Palestinian Arabs inside Israel and to support the effort to confront Israeli discrimination and apartheid Policies that aim at terminating the Palestinian national cultural heritage.
The international day of support to the Palestinian people deeply rooted in the Galilee, the costal line and Naqab, is meant to raise voices that Palestinian Arabs in all areas will remain on the land so long there are thyme and olive trees and reject all judaization efforts and attempts evict them from their homes, cities and villages.
On this day, where Palestinians adhere to their national land to their closely-knitted social fabric and rejection of Israeli discriminatory policies, they call upon all citizens who stand in solidarity with them and all those who believe in the just Palestinian cause to stand by the 1948 Palestine (under occupation) and in the Diaspora as a means to confront the consecutive the consecutive Israel governments mention measures, ever since the establishment of the Zionist movement that aim at evicting Palestinians from their land.
In these circumstances and after trying all political, legal and civil means and protestation by using all available means, the Palestinians, I mean the original heir of this land, would like to attract world attention to the discrimination carried out against us and would like to knock the door of all free citizens of the world to support us in this just cause and to our rightful demands.
For this reason, a higher committee was established from which the central preparatory committee and other committees were emanated especially in countries where Palestinian presence is significant. Those committees include media and communication committees to organized solidarity campaign and conferences in those countries. Moreover, the 30th January 2016 was adopted as the international day for solidarity with the 1948 Palestinians and for standing by their struggle to gain justice and equality. This committee will also work on drafting a comprehensive plan to extend beyond the 30th of January of this year in order to reap outcomes that serve the overall causes and its objectives.
Conclusively despite recent diplomatic efforts, the current situation remains one of the pervasive human insecurity, in which the lives, safety and well-being of the Palestinian civilian population are being gravely threatened by the occupying power and its extremist settlers. The Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory (the West Bank including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip) is in its fifth decade and the undercurrent of violence and inherent abuses of fundamental human rights and disregard for international law inherent tin any long-standing military occupation is presented by both sides. Therefore, the call on Nigerians both the Muslims and the Christians to join the call to free the Palestinian is a call serve and save the humanity.