ELS: MBN360 NEWS
President John Dramani Mahama has called for stronger international action over the conflict in Gaza, while reaffirming Ghana’s support for Palestinian statehood and a viable two-state solution.
Addressing the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday, September 24, President Mahama said the international community must confront the humanitarian consequences of the conflict without allowing diplomatic language to obscure the suffering of civilians.
“Nowhere is this crisis of credibility more painful than in the ongoing persecution of the Palestinian people in Gaza, the West Bank, and the occupied territories,” he said.
The President questioned how many more civilian lives would be lost before the international community exercised what he described as decisive moral authority.
He referred to the death of five-year-old Hind Rajab and the killing of thousands of children in the conflict, while condemning collective punishment, enforced starvation and mass displacement.
“Collective punishment, enforced starvation, and mass displacement are flagrant violations of international law,” President Mahama said.
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He stressed that Ghana remained committed to recognising the State of Palestine and supporting a negotiated two-state arrangement under which Israel and Palestine could coexist peacefully and securely within guaranteed borders.
“At the same time, we condemn all acts of terrorism by Hamas that triggered this conflict,” he said, insisting that all parties must respect international humanitarian law.
President Mahama also called for greater international attention to the war in Sudan and conflicts elsewhere, saying the same standards of civilian protection, humanitarian access and accountability should apply across conflicts.
“Across every conflict, whether in Europe, the Middle East, or Africa, the standard must remain uniform: respect sovereign integrity, protect civilians, ensure unhindered humanitarian access, and hold perpetrators of war crimes accountable,” he said.
The call comes amid renewed international efforts to advance a two-state solution. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has also reaffirmed that the goal is two independent, sovereign and democratic states — Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security.
