Palestine issue not religion-based, says Ambassador Abullah Sawesh

Kochi, Sep 25 (PTI) Palestine Ambassador to India, Adullah Abu Sawesh, on Thursday, said that the Palestine-Israel conflict was not religion-based, as it is often portrayed.

He was addressing a solidarity conference organised by the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) here.

He said that the history of Palestine did not start on October 7 (2023) and it is very deep and goes back to Prophet Abraham, as referred to in the Quran.

He said that the major turning point came in 1917 when the United Kingdom "gifted our homeland to European Jews." "November 2, 1917 sowed the seeds of the misery we face today," he said.

Sawesh recalled that Palestinians launched a revolution in 1936, similar to India’s freedom movement.

In 1947, when the United Nations took up the Palestine issue, Mahatma Gandhi opposed the resolution, affirming that Palestine belonged to the Palestinians, he said.

He said Palestinians are being cleansed from our homeland. "My family was expelled from our village, and we lived in a refugee camp in Gaza. We know the exact meaning of suffering and the source of the problem," he said.

Rejecting attempts to frame the conflict as religious, he said, "This is not because we are Muslims and they are Jews. This is because we are Palestinians and they are occupiers. We have nothing against Jews, Christians or any religion. Unfortunately, the Zionist movement always tries to portray it as religion-based." He pointed out that Jews and Christians have supported the Palestinian cause.

He said there was even a Jewish minister in Yasser Arafat’s government.

He also took the names of Jewish and Christian leaders who supported the Palestinian people.

The ambassador rejected allegations of terrorism against Palestinians.

"We have never committed any terrorist act against anyone. No one can accuse us of being terrorists. We will not allow Israel and the Zionist movement to depict us that way," he said.

The ambassador said Palestinians held Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru in great regard and also remembered Indian heroes like Bhagat Singh.

He said that India has always stood with Palestine, from Mahatma Gandhi’s opposition to the UN resolution to the present government’s support in the United Nations.

He noted that less than 10 days ago, India voted in favour of a UN resolution supporting Palestine.

He also cited ongoing projects supported by both past and present Indian governments, including a hospital being built in Palestine.

"India was with Palestine, India is with Palestine, and India will continue to be with Palestine," Sawesh said.

He urged people to play their part in strengthening the Palestinian cause.

"Everyone can be a game changer. Social media play a crucial role in highlighting our struggle. Please do not stop posting about Palestine, do not stop sharing our videos," he appealed.

He said that where there is a will, there is a way. He pointed to India's freedom struggle for independence and how the occupiers were resisted.

"We will continue to resist Israeli occupation by all means, especially diplomatic means," he added. PTI TBA TBA KH