As the war between Israel and the State of Palestine continues unabated, with about 62,000 Palestinians killed and over 90,000 injured, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Palestine to Nigeria, Muhannad Hammouri, believes that lasting peace can be achieved through a permanent ceasefire, full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, unrestricted humanitarian access and safe return of displaced families. In an interview with BRIDGET CHIEDU ONOCHIE, the envoy also describes the Israeli Government’s approval of the E1 Project and the 22 additional illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank as “annexation by stealth,” urging the international community to wade into the matter so as to forestall escalation.
What exactly is the update on the lingering conflict between Israel and Palestine?
So far, over 62,122 Palestinians have been killed, majority of which were women and children. More than 90,000 people were also injured and thousands of citizens remained missing under rubbles.That is how it stands.
Israel has described Hamas as a terrorist organisation, and which must be eliminated for threatening to wipe out Israel from the face of the earth.
How true is this allegation?
Let me be frank with you; Israel’s attempt to brand Hamas as a terrorist organisation is a political tool to erase the context of occupation and decades of systematic oppression of the Palestinian people. This rhetoric is used to justify the killing of civilians, destruction of our cities and the blockade of our land. The world must also remember that under the international law, people under occupation have the right to resist; this is a fact. So, the issue is not about one movement or one faction; this is about an entire nation’s struggle for freedom, dignity and independence. Peace will never be achieved by eliminating the Palestinians, who resist occupation; it will be achieved by eliminating the occupation itself.
The world has watched the needless destruction of lives and properties, malnutrition and deaths. What in your view should be done to end the war and restore normalcy?
Look, let me tell you something; there is no place on earth that is facing what Gaza is facing right now. To end the war, there must be a permanent ceasefire, full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, unrestricted humanitarian access and safe return of displaced families. Also, the blockade must end. Settlements which are illegal under the international law expansion must stop. Also, international protection must be deployed, and accountability through United Nations resolutions and international courts is essential alongside a credible political process leading to a sovereign Palestinian state on the 1967 border with East Jerusalem as its capital. Peace will come only by ending the siege and the occupation.
What is the current position of your government on U.S. plans to take over Gaza?
Any U.S. proposal to take over Gaza is completely rejected. Gaza is an integral part of the State of Palestine, and its future cannot be decided by any foreign powers. Our people have the right to govern themselves, free from occupation, blockade or external control. The only acceptable path forward is ending Israel’s siege, ensuring Palestinian national unity and allowing our legitimate government to exercise full sovereignty over Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
So, beyond the struggle for Gaza Strip, which Israel claimed it has vacated for long, what will you say was the rationale behind the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas group?
Look, the October 7, 2023, did not come out of the blues and cannot be understood in isolation. They are rooted in decades of occupation, siege, settlement expansion and systematic denial of the Palestinian people’s basic rights. Although Israel claimed to have vacated Gaza in 2005, yet, it has maintained full control over Gaza’s borders, the airspace and also water after this time, imposing a crumbling blockade for more than 17 years. This has turned Gaza into what many international observers call the world’s largest open-air prison, which is well known now. The whole world is calling it a large open-air prison. The sustained conflict is the result of this ongoing oppression, not a single day’s event. Lasting peace will only be possible when the underlying cause, which is occupation, blockade, and denial of self-determination is addressed.
Do you also suspect external influences and interests as major drivers of the sustained war?
It is evident that external influences and interests play a role in sustaining this war. Certain powers provide Israel with political cover, military support and economic incentives, enabling its ongoing aggression and violation of international laws. At the same time, regional and global actors with their own agendas exploit the Palestinian cause, often prioritising geo-political gains over the rights and welfare of our people. These external dynamics deepen the conflict and obstruct genuine peace efforts. The only path forward is an independent, principled process that centres on justice, international law and the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.
One of the major factors blamed for civilian casualties in Gaza was the alleged storage of weapons under hospital and civilian structures by Hamas.
How do you explain this?
You see, whenever Israel is in the corner, they put the whole issue on Hamas’ shoulders. Look, I don’t support Hamas. I am defending my own people. What I care about is my own people, who are suffering daily in Gaza. We have never witnessed anything compared to what is going on now in Gaza in our generation or even those of our grand-fathers or great-grand fathers. Whatever goes on now in Gaza is like a Hollywood movie but it is a fact, and it is on ground. Every day is the same. Hollywood movie is a film but this is reality. It is unbelievable. Now, everybody across the world is witnessing what is going on in Gaza but unfortunately, no one can help or do something; this is another thing, which is also okay. We have supports from countries and from wherever but to put an end to the war is another thing. For example, if you turn your face to the television, you will see the bombings and the shooting of people waiting in the queue to collect food or whatever in Gaza.
On the alleged refusal of Hamas to release Israeli hostages
Why should our hostages remain also in Israeli prisons? We have thousands of them held hostage by Israeli authorities. You release mine and I release yours; this is how it goes with negotiations. I am not talking on behalf of Hamas but logically. We have a lot of people also as prisoners in the Israeli prison and they have families – mothers and a lot of children. Why should these people remain in prison? And just for your information, the Israeli hostages are treated very well. I mean, they are treated very well. They were just taken as hostages but they serve them the same food as they eat.
The Israeli government has finally secured the Parliament’s approval to expand settlement in the West Bank, including the highly controversial E1 project and the approval of 22 new settlements, a move many fear may bisect the West Bank and undermine viability of a future Palestinian State.
What is your response to this and how do you expect the international community to react to the perceived clear escalation?
We denounce in the strongest possible terms the Israeli’s government’s approval of the E1 Project and the 22 additional illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. This is not development; it is annexation by stealth. It is a flagrant breach of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and a direct defiance of the UN Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016). These actions are designed to serve the West Bank, erase the possibility of a contiguous Palestinian State, and entrench a system of dispossession and apartheid. Words of “deep concern” are no longer enough. The international community must impose immediate political, economic and legal consequences to stop this escalation and hold those responsible to account. If E1 is built, it will physically separate the northern and southern parts of the West Bank. It would also isolate East Jerusalem from the rest of Palestinian land and make a future contiguous Palestinian state impossible.
