Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has called on government to play a more pivotal role in ensuring an end to Israel’s ongoing massacre of Palestinian people in Gaza.
According to Mr. Ablakwa, Ghana has since independence been a moral voice for peace and global stability and this image must prevail especially now as thousands are being killed in Gaza.
Israel began its carpet bombing and invasion of the Gaza strip following the October 7th massacre and kidnapping of some Israelis by Hamas, a terrorist group based in Gaza.
Since then, calls for Israel to exercise some restraint have fallen on deaf ears with the country going ahead to flout international laws on war with impunity.
Speaking on the situation, Mr. Ablakwa said Ghana must be firm in calling for an end to the massacre.
“As the Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, I’m deeply appalled at the massacre going on in Gaza. Look, Ghana has always been a stalwart, a nation that is respected in the comity of nations when it comes to international matters, when it comes to our demand for peace.
“That’s why we were the first country to deploy peacekeeping operation in the Congo in 1960, we pioneered the non-aligned movement in the Cold War; we were a force for peace.
“I want to re-echo the Pope’s Christmas message, those killings, the massacre must stop. More than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed. Of course I also condemn the October 7th killings but you see they should look out for the perpetrators and deal with them,” he said.
He added that “To say that because some people have come to engage in that terrorist act all Palestinians is fair game; children, mothers, innocent civilians, hospitals, schools, kindergartens; I mean everywhere is being bombed and I’ve been there. I’ve been to the Middle East area on numerous occasions. These are holy lands which have been reduced to rubble.
“This must stop and I think that we must add our voice. We sit on the security council even though our tenure is coming to an end and we must go back to that iconic role that the likes of Kwame Nkrumah used to play in being a moral voice for peace and global stability.”
