PM calls for immediate ceasefire of 'one-sided war' forced by Israel on Palestine
"Israel is on a merciless rampage with no respite, bombing hospitals and civilian infrastructure and killing thousands of Palestinians, mostly women and children," she said
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (12 November) placed five recommendations to stop the "brutal Israeli aggression" against Palestine that continues unabated, despite calls from global communities for an immediate end.
She proposed the suggestions in a recorded speech broadcast at the 8th Extraordinary Islamic Summit kicking off on 9 November in Riyadh.
The summit was convened at the invitation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to discuss the "brutal and unprecedented Israeli aggression" against the Palestinian people.
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At first, the prime minister called for an immediate ceasefire of the "vicious one-sided war" forced by Israel on Palestine.
She said the war is unjust, and it is ruthlessly violating human rights and international humanitarian laws.
For over a month, she said that Gaza has been burning, and it continues even now.
"Israel is on a merciless rampage with no respite, bombing hospitals and civilian infrastructure and killing thousands of Palestinians, mostly women and children," she said.
In her second recommendation, the prime minister said there is an immediate need to open a humanitarian corridor for a continuous, rapid, and safe supply of food, water, medicine, and other lifesaving materials for the trapped residents of devastated Gaza.
While the relentless Israeli bombing is killing people in the thousands, she said it seems that we, the international community, have become immobilized at the sight of death and destruction.
"We need to act quickly, at least for a safe humanitarian corridor," she said.
Thirdly, Sheikh Hasina said the killing of innocent civilians and the clearing of areas through barbaric means have created an environment of terror.
"Such vicious acts must be punished so that the people whose hearth and homes lie in Gaza can once again lead peaceful lives in their own land," she said.
Fourthly, she said, "We must visit all our agreed decisions at the UN, the Arab Peace Initiative, and the Quartet Road Map and strive for an early solution that will bring permanent peace among the peoples of the region."
In the fifth suggestion, she said that the Muslim Ummah must be united on this important issue of Palestine.
They are our brothers and sisters who have been denied their right to self-determination and the right to their own homeland for the last 55 years, she added.
"It is about time that all of us together stand by them and help them realize their justified demand," she said.
Women and children suffer the most in war, and young men give their lives, she continued.
The premier said they believe in peace and oppose all kinds of war and occupation of other countries.
"We want any problem to be solved peacefully. My appeal to all: stop war; stop the arms race. Let each country regain its sovereignty and the right to live in peace. Wherein lies the welfare of mankind," she said.
The premier reiterated that "Bangladesh supports and stands by our Palestinian brothers and sisters' right to self-determination, sovereignty, and independence based on the 1967 border and the Two-State Solution with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital".
"We hope you will all do so too," she said.
Sheikh Hasina said she is deeply grateful to Mohammad Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud for holding today's summit.
"I believe this meeting will serve as a powerful platform to urge Israel to halt its cruel onslaught of defenseless Palestinians," she said.
Describing Gaza as the most densely populated open-air prison in the world for decades, she said that the once-persecuted Jewish people are now pitilessly destroying the homes, hopes, and families of hapless Palestinians who gave them shelter during their difficult days.
