Israel-Hamas War: ‘Palestine deserves independence’ – Nigeria VP Shettima tells world leaders
The Nigerian Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has made a case for Palestine’s freedom at the 2024 United Nations General Assembly, UNGA.
the ongoing Palestine and Israel war started on October 7 2023, after Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel, prompting the Israel Defense Forces, IDF, to engage in aerial campaigns and ground operations within the Gaza Strip.
As of September 2024, 41,431 Palestinians and 1,706 Israelis have reportedly been killed in the Israel–Hamas war.
However, reacting to the ongoing war at the 79th edition of the General Assembly, Vice President Shettima said, “We can’t discuss war and peace, conflicts and reconciliation or humanitarian imperatives today without reflecting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
Addressing the world leaders on Wednesday, he stated that the Palestinian people deserve independence.
“Today, we are all witnesses to the heart-wrenching situation in Gaza and other Palestinian Territories. We can’t discuss war and peace, conflicts and reconciliation or humanitarian imperatives without reflecting on the Israeli Palestinian conflict that has been raging since 7th October 2023.
“What this tells us is that the international community has failed to live up to the spirit and aspirations of the United Nations to rid the world of inequality, violence and dominance of one people by another. Justice is antithetical to revenge.
”Freedom is a natural entitlement that can’t be denied to any people. The Palestinian people deserve independence. They deserve to have their own territories already recognised by this very Assembly and international law, which is being routinely ignored.”
