‘Palestine deserve Independence’ – Shettima Makes Case at 79th UN General Assembly [Video]

Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima has urged world leaders to find lasting solutions to the ongoing war in Gaza, saying the people of Palestine deserved independence.

Shettima who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu stated this while addressing world leaders during the General Debate at the ongoing 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the UN headquarters in New York, United States.

Recall ongoing war in Gaza started on October 7, 2023, and had caused extensive civilian casualties, with 1,143 deaths and thousands more injuries.

The conflict has historical roots, originating from the Six-Day War in 1967, which resulted in Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The unresolved dispute between Israel and Palestinians remains a significant global concern.

The Gaza Strip remains a focal point in the ongoing violence, with frequent exchanges between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants causing repeated displacement of civilians and civilian casualties.

In March 2018, another flare-up occurred when Israeli troops killed 183 Palestinians and injured 6,000 others in the Gaza Strip.

Speaking at the 79th UNGA, Shettima asked the world leaders to reflect on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and find lasting solutions to it, adding that failure to do so means the international community has failed to live up to the spirit and aspirations of the United Nations to rid the world of inequality, violence and domination of one people by another. Justice is antithetical to revenge.

“Today, we are all witnesses to the heart-wrenching situation in Gaza and other Palestinian Territories. We cannot discuss war and peace, conflicts and reconciliation or humanitarian imperatives today without reflecting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that has been raging since 7th October last year.

“Of course, the conflict predates this period and has been simmering for a better part of half a century. What this tells us is that the international community has failed to live up to the spirit and aspirations of the United Nations to rid the world of inequality, violence and domination of one people by another. Justice is antithetical to revenge.

“Freedom is an inalienable right and a natural entitlement that cannot be denied to any people. The Palestinian people deserve their independence.

“They deserve to have a home of their own on territories already recognised by this very Assembly and by international law, which is being routinely ignored. Nigeria continues to urge efforts to bring back on track the ‘two state solution’ that offers the prospect for a new beginning for the region.”