The conference, part of the Hague Group's efforts, arose from the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which declared the occupation illegal and demanded its end within a year. Photo: The Hague Group.
Bogota, July 16 (RHC)-- From the Emergency Ministerial Conference on Palestine in Bogotá, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, issued a global call for action and recognition of the Palestinian state, denouncing the genocide, illegal occupation, and impunity in the Gaza Strip, which, he stated, "invalidates the international system of rights and values."
Ambassador Riyad Mansour said he was honored to meet in Bogotá with ministers, including the Director General of South Africa, within the framework of the Emergency Ministerial Conference on Palestine. Organized by The Hague Group, this conference follows previous meetings in Madrid, considered strategic for the defense of the Palestinian State, reflecting growing international will.
Mansour thanked Colombia and all the countries that support Palestine, highlighting the danger of demanding political crimes today, as seen with sanctions and expropriations against members of the International Criminal Court. He also expressed that the "nonstop violations and international abuses perpetrated by Israel," in his opinion, are biased by the empowerment of allies and "overwhelming impunity." He emphasized that this destroys humanity and invalidates the international system of rights and values cultivated over the past 80 years.
The ambassador also described the devastating picture: thousands murdered, more than 200,000 people facing famine in the occupied West Bank alone, and two million Palestinians with children who, while searching for water, are attacked, bombed, and displaced, while arms sales generate huge profits.
Mansour emphasized that the unity of those present at the conference stems from their "humanity and shared outrage" over the crimes against the Palestinian people, whose "unimaginable suffering is a warning to humanity" that aggression, slaughter, destruction, ethnic cleansing, and genocide could become the norm. He asserted that the meeting and the collective efforts are inspiring and seek to inspire hope, demonstrating to future generations that their rights and a more humane world are being defended.
The Palestinian ambassador urged the restoration of accountability as an essential element for justice and peace, establishing the absolute truth, not normalizing impunity, and preventing these crimes from leading to peace. Mansour affirmed that justice in Palestine requires the dismantling of the illegal occupation and apartheid regime. The surest way to protect the Palestinian people is to guarantee their freedom and dignity in their own land.
The Palestinian ambassador urged all states that have not yet recognized Palestine to take that step as soon as possible, including "large and important countries in Europe, Asia, and North America." Explicitly mentioning Canada, Mansour clarified that recognizing Palestine is not a symbolic act, but a concrete defense against colonialist expansion. In this regard, he thanked countries like Colombia, which have combined this recognition with actions to counter Israel's illegal actions, including halting arms sales and the proliferation of illegal settlements.
[ SOURCE: teleSUR ]
