Foreign Minister: Hope western world will stop supplying arms to Israel

Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud on Thursday hoped that those who supply weapons to Israel, used for killing innocent people, will realise their wrongdoing and stop the arms supply.

“We expect the Western world will realise and take steps against Israel. We, the government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, were beside Palestinians, we are with them, and we will continue to stand beside them,” he told reporters, reacting to the Israeli air strike on aid workers in Gaza that also killed three British citizens.

The foreign minister said that people, including innocent children and women, are being killed in Gaza with the arms supplied by the western countries.

“Even aid workers are being killed. This is something beyond imagination. We expect arms supply to Israel will be stopped," Hasan said.

He said brutality and killings continue in Gaza by the Israeli forces who are not even taking the UN resolution into consideration.

Israeli airstrikes that killed seven aid workers in Gaza reverberated around the world, as friends and relatives mourned the losses of those who were delivering food to besieged Palestinians with the charity, World Central Kitchen.

Among those killed were three British nationals, an Australian, a Polish citizen, an American-Canadian, and a Palestinian. Some had traveled the world, participating in aid efforts in the aftermath of wars, earthquakes and wildfires.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has recently written to President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, and reiterated her pledge to support his endeavors in obtaining full membership of Palestine in the United Nations through advocacy in all international forums and beyond.

“I restate our call for a long term ceasefire and urge all concerned to exercise restraint to protect civilian lives and infrastructure,” PM Hasina said in her letter.

Upholding justice, peace and harmony is a core teaching of Islam and all great religions, Hasina said, adding that it is what they consider an antidote to all conflicts and sufferings.

She conveyed her sincerest condolences to the government and brotherly people of Palestine for the tragic loss of innocent lives including children, women and men during the unabated Israel's genocide in Gaza and west Bank since 08 October 2023.

“I acknowledge the receipt of your letter addressed to me delivered through your envoy and General Secretary of Fatah Central Committee on 19 March 2024. I am aware of the Israeli Prime Minister's ‘Day After’ post war plan for Gaza and endorse your grave concerns over it,” Hasina said.

The plan is contempt to the rights of the Palestinian people and violation of the International Law and Accords, the letter reads.

“It is disappointing to see that the plan fails to provide any tangible pathway to this protracted conflict. Rather, it aims at suppressing the legitimate national aspirations of the Palestinians in Gaza while perpetuating Israeli control over the land,” Hasina wrote in her letter.

As a nation which has suffered occupation, and genocide, Hasina said, Bangladesh truly understands the plight of the occupied and persecuted Palestinians.

“Thus, we extend our full solidarity with the people of Palestine on international platforms, condemning the Israeli occupation and advocating for a just resolution based on international law,” the Prime Minister said.

“As Muslim brothers, we would continue to remain committed and steadfast in our support to your legitimate aspiration for independent statehood along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital,” she added.