The National Muslim Conference (NMC) of Ghana has condemned the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The group called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and a return to negotiations based on the two-state solution that recognizes the existence and interests of both Israel and Palestine.
The NMC expressed sorrow over the loss of thousands of lives of Israelis and Palestinians arising from the conflict over a week ago as well as from the many years of colonial oppression of the Palestinian people, especially the blockade of the Gaza Strip by Israel.
Addressing the media in Parliament on Friday October 3, General Secretary of the NMC, Inusah Mohammed Baba who read a statement on behalf of the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharabutu, denounced Hamas for the attack on Israel and the Israeli bombing of the Al Ahali Hospital and the church in Gaza.
“We condemn the Hamas attack on Israel on Saturday 7 October 2023 and the Israeli bombing of the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza on October 17, in which over 500 people were reportedly killed and hundreds more wounded and maimed.”
“The same condemnation goes to the Israeli Government for the bombing and destruction of the oldest Church in Gaza at the weekend resulting in significant loss of lives.”
“The attack on hospitals, churches, mosques etc. and killing and maiming of hundreds of people are massacres and, therefore, acts of genocide and clearly war crimes for which the Government of Prime Minister Netanyahu must be held responsible,” the statement said.
The group also blamed the international community for failing to enforce the UN resolutions that called for the end of the Israeli occupation and settlement of Palestinian lands.
He said, “This has been the case from the time of the passage of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242 of 1948, otherwise called the Partition Resolution that divided Palestine into two states of Israel for the Jews and a state of Palestine for the Palestinians to the Security Council Resolution 338 reinforcing the recognition by the International Community of the existence, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the two separate states of Israel and Palestine.”
“It is sad to note that after over 75 years of the partition resolution that created the state of Israel recognised by many states in the world today, there is no such recognition and respect by the global community for the other state for the Palestinians.”
The group urged the global community to act swiftly to ensure the Palestinians right to self-determination and statehood and decisively end the suffering of the Palestinian people.
The NMC also urged all parties to respect the sanctity of holy places such as the Al Aqsa Mosque in Palestine.
Inusah Baba stressed that peaceful coexistence between Arabs and Jews is critical, and commended the Ghana government for voting for a cessation of fire in Gaza and to allow humanitarian aid to reach those affected by the conflict.
Former Minority Whip, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, expressed his concern that the global community is showing a clear double standard in its response to the holocaust and the current situation in Palestine.
He argued there is no legal or moral basis for the violence in Palestine and emphasized that even in war, there are norms and principles to follow.
“We denounce the loss of innocent lives in Israel because every life is precious, but we cannot accept the collective punishment of a people for the actions of a few. That is utterly unlawful and unfair in this world.”
“That is a grave injustice, but it is happening,” he stated.
The former Whip criticized the UN for becoming a very ineffective organization that fails to uphold its own rules and prevent the so-called super powers from crossing their limits.
The war, he said, should serve as a wake-up call to Africa, the weakest continent in the world, because this could be a signal of a new wave of colonialism.
