The Gambia’s Permanent Representative at the United Nations, Lang Yabou, has called on the international community to reach a permanent truce and end the ongoing occupation Palestine by addressing the root causes of the conflict in the interest of peace.
Yabou made the statement at the United Nations on the situation in the Middle East on Monday.
In his statement made available on Monday, the ambassador pointed out that lasting peace and security in Palestine and the Middle East by extension would only breed regional and greater world peace.
Yabou challenged the international community to spur genuine dialogue with a view to ending the deadlock and intensify efforts to bring Israel and Palestine to the negotiating table.
“The Gambia is deeply concerned by the scale of the violence in the recent Israeli – Palestinian conflict, including the desecration of the Al-Aqsa holy site, the sanctity of which must be respected by all. My delegation therefore is calling for an end to the violence on Palestinians and the lifting of blockade on the Gaza Strip.
“We are encouraged by the declaration of cease-fire and it is our expectation that, both sides to the conflict would continue to adhere to the cease fire because escalation and worsening violence do not help anybody. The Gambia is therefore, appealing to both sides to avoid any further escalation and adhere to the principles of international law,” he said.
He observed that the continuous use of force and conflict will only add to the sufferings of the people living in the area. It is time for the international community to stop the policy of apartheid and act decisively to end this long-standing conflict that has claimed the lives of many innocent victims while displacing millions.
Yabou stated that the Gambia reiterated the call for the revival of the two-state solution on the basis of a renewed and credible peace process, involving all the stakeholders and in line with relevant UN Resolutions.