Palestinian Ambassador to BiH: We believe in a peaceful resolution of the conflict

On the occasion of the 69th anniversary of the Palestinian Naqba, the Ambassador of Palestine to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rezeq Namoora, held a press conference where he spoke about the suffering of the Palestinian people in recent decades, the current situation in this country, and plans for the future, reports the Patria agency.

Ambassador Namoora informed the public about the situation in Israeli prisons where Palestinian prisoners have been on a hunger strike for 32 days.

- These individuals are imprisoned for fighting for the honor of the Palestinian people. It is unnecessary to mention that international law guarantees all human rights to prisoners, but Israel constantly violates the rights of those living under occupation. Some of the prisoners have been in prison for 37 years. Over three hundred minors are also in prisons, as well as more than 750 women. Out of seven thousand prisoners in Israeli prisons, hundreds suffer from various diseases and live in undignified conditions - said the Palestinian ambassador.

In addition to the Israeli authorities, Ambassador Namoora also holds the international community responsible for not doing enough to protect the Palestinian people.

- Israel is responsible for the lives of the inhabitants, as are international institutions. Unfortunately, in the last few days, the health condition of the prisoners has worsened, and many are unconscious, and Israel refuses to transfer them to appropriate hospitals. The Palestinian leadership is of the opinion that their release is key to any peace and progress in Palestine - emphasizes Namoora.

The Palestinian ambassador warns of the double standards of the international community when it comes to the situation in Palestine.

- The UN Security Council always engages on the issues of Syria and Iraq, but when it comes to the hunger strike in Palestine, they do not care about it. I hope someone will take action regarding the fascist treatment by the Israeli authorities. Israel, as an occupying state, considers itself entitled to live above all international laws - says Ambassador Namoora, and conveys that despite all the problems, Palestinians will not lose hope for a better future and will continue to build friendships with all peoples of the world.

Rezeq Namoora explained what the term Naqba means to Palestinians.

- Naqba is a term that has become known and does not need to be translated. This term has entered all languages of the world as a word that signifies suffering, hardship. Naqba signifies the beginning of the eradication of the Palestinian people.

The ambassador also wanted to inform the public about the history of Palestine and how Israel was created, which also marked the beginning of the suffering of the Palestinian people. Everything, according to the ambassador, began with the adoption of the Balfour Declaration in 1917.

- With the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Britain occupied the territory of present-day Palestine. The Balfour Declaration of 1917 entailed two things; facilitating the procedure for the settlement of Jews from all over the world to Palestine and arming Jewish groups to create a Jewish state on the territory of Palestine.

He pointed out that since then, Palestinians have lost as much as 78 percent of their territory, that hundreds of cities and villages have been destroyed, that Palestinian cities a hundred years ago looked completely identical to European cities, and that today they are mostly ruins.

- Can you imagine the amount of suffering if we know that today there are seven million Palestinian refugees living in the world, and that 6.5 million of them live in the territory of present-day Palestine and Israel, while 6.5 million Jewish settlers live in Israel, and in 1917 the total share of the Jewish population in Palestine was 1.5 percent. We can say that the world has done injustice to the Palestinian people, because we agreed to live on 22 percent of the territory, and even that is not allowed to us - said the ambassador.

Palestine has been recognized by 138 countries in the world to date, which, according to the ambassador's words, shows that a state can be built despite constant occupation.

Despite all the suffering, Palestine today has 18 universities where thousands of students are educated. The ambassador emphasized that Palestinian doctors are among the leading in the world.

The ambassador emphasized the commitment of the Palestinian leadership to a peaceful resolution of the conflict. He stressed that the goal of the Palestinian leadership, headed by President Mahmoud Abbas, is the creation of the state of Palestine within the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Namoora also emphasized that he expects a lot from the visit of US President Donald Trump to Israel and Palestine, announced for May 23, and thanked the BiH Presidency member Mladen Ivanić for his recent visit to Palestine.