‘Palestinians have every right to resist oppression, violence’
Developments in Gaza did not occur in vacuum, says Palestinian embassy in Dhaka
Palestinians have every right to resist oppression, violence and racist practices of the illegal Israeli occupation, the Palestinian embassy in Dhaka said today.
"The Israeli government must refrain from bombing civilians, including women and children in Gaza, and inciting violence and tensions in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and especially around religious sites," the embassy said in a press release.
Referring to Hamas's attack on Israel on Saturday, when its gunmen crossed into Israel from the Gaza Strip and carried out the biggest attack on Israel in decades, the embassy said, "The development from Gaza did not occur in a vacuum.
"The response of the Palestinian resistance came after months of continued Israeli settler violence, repeated incursions into Palestinian refugee camps throughout the West Bank, especially the Jenin refugee camp, attacks on holy sites, targeting in particular Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al- Haram Al-Sharif, provocations, incitement and assaults on Palestinian Muslim and Christian worshippers, breaches of international law and the historic legal status quo, Israel's 16-year-long illegal blockade on Gaza, and all other aspects of Israel's system of apartheid imposed on all Palestinians.
"Even as the occupying power becomes more ferocious, racist and extreme, with its systematic assaults on the Palestinian people and human rights violations escalating by the day, the pleas for international protection of our people remain unmet," the Palestinian embassy said.
"The situation has reached the dangerous, explosive point that we have continually and explicitly warned of, yet to no avail … We have witnessed the shameful global reactions and inaction, and are deeply disturbed by the one-sided narrative pushed forward by Western governments and media in favour of the Zionist occupier and its violent agenda."
The embassy also urged the media in Bangladesh to evaluate their source of information during their coverage.
"As of yesterday, 413 Palestinians, including 78 children and 41 women were martyred in Gaza, and 2,300 were injured in the onslaught of the Israeli attacks. In 36 hours, Israel destroyed 1,012 homes completely, 11 residential & high-rise buildings, one UN schools, three mosques and internally displaced 74,000 people, rendering them homeless.
"Palestine calls on the international community to urgently intervene to protect civilians and prevent further suffering. We also call upon our Muslim brothers and sisters in Bangladesh and all across the world to stand in support with us firmly and provide us with assistance as this will be invaluable for our people who are fighting bravely against the occupying power," the press release said.
"The world must recognise that durable peace requires ending occupation of Palestinian land, recognising the State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital, and upholding Palestinians' right to independence and autonomy."