By Omar Bah
Gambia Moral Congress leader and former special adviser to President Adama Barrow has said The Gambia should use its diplomatic relations with Israel to inform them about the country’s abhorrence of its genocidal policies towards Palestinians.
Tensions between the two countries escalated recently after Palestinian militant group Hamas – which is banned as a terrorist group by the UK Government – sent fighters across the border to Israel and fired thousands of rockets in an unprecedented attack on Saturday.
In an exclusive interview with The Standard on Monday, Mai Fatty said: “I will urge intensifying bilateral contacts as we cooperate on matters of mutual interest while categorically making it known about our abhorrence of Israeli genocidal policies towards Palestinians.”
Fatty said nations, including The Gambia, are experiencing unprecedented grave challenges that continue to significantly threaten global values.
“In consequence, globalisation and multilateralism are being increasingly placed under severe strain. Yet, as we in The Gambia must as a sovereign necessity, accord prime focus on perennial issues such as domestic insecurity, economic inclusion, migration, governance deficits, etc and more, we cannot also afford to overlook threats to peace elsewhere, with the potential to weaken global prosperity. Israel’s six decades relentless hostility in Palestine – the longest in world history – must end,” he said.
He said in a duel between justice and injustice, there should be “no illusion as to what morality and righteousness command. It’s a shame and shame to America and its allies for underwriting and legitimising the greatest human suffering of a people in modern history.”
He said Israel, like all Nations, has the right to self defense.
“What it does not have is the right to defend its unjust occupation, which was long ruled by the International Court of Justice and the United Nations as illegal. What we saw a few days ago, was not an attack against Israel, but a response to sustained hostility, crimes against humanity and depraved deprivation of basic humanity of a people. This inevitable response was not an act of deliberate unprovoked aggression, rather a compelling demonstration of the unsustainability of the status quo. Until the root causes of the conflict are comprehensively resolved satisfactorily, there will be no peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
“It would be unwise for the State of Israel to take false confidence in its seeming military prowess and remarkable intelligence capabilities. That is the formidable lesson of the troubling events of the last few days. Without the elusive two States solution becoming a tangible reality, this is a perpetual generational warfare with no winner. What a shame! I do not mean to condone violence by either side. Rather the contrary, I condemn violence from either side. Clearly in this uneven conflict, the United States remains the dishonest broker while the EU must consolidate and embolden its more progressive compassionate approach applauded globally, and by adopting a more robust independent strategy away from the US,” he added.
The United States, he alleged, is directly complicit as an active participant in the genocide against Palestine.
“America supplies the weapons that Israel used to bomb and kill Palestinians routinely and provide Israel with $3.5 billion annually to support it to sustain the economic aggression. It also sanctions countries and individuals actively supporting Palestinians to achieve statehood and freedom. What I seek to hammer home is the message that there is the urgent, daring need for Israel to change its futile but calamitous tactics and genocidal strategy on the ground. Perhaps, then and only then, would they give peace a chance,” he noted.
Fatty condemned the persistent Israeli daily aggression and incendiary provocation against ordinary Palestinians and called for international consensus to be spearheaded by the EU, the OIC and GCC for an immediate end to 15 years economic blockade against Gaza – the world’s biggest open prison.
“Israel must cease and desist its relentless escalation of hostilities,” he concluded.
