According to State Minister of Information and Broadcasting Muhammad Ali Arafat, Bangladesh stands for the oppressed Palestinian people.
He made this statement about the Israeli assault of Gaza, genocide, and Israel’s disinformation campaign against Palestine during an interview with the Qatar-based media outlet “Al Jazeera Arabic” in Istanbul, Turkey.
Arafat is now in Turkey for the OIC member nations’ Islamic Conference of Information Ministers.
In response to a question concerning Bangladesh’s position on the Palestine issue, the state minister stated that Bangladesh consistently backs the oppressed Palestinian people since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh has a strong and unambiguous attitude in this area.
The premier attended the Munich Security Conference a few days ago, he mentioned.
In the conference, the Bangladesh prime minister clearly stated that what is happening in the Gaza Strip is genocide, he said adding “This is our stance”.
“We believe the people of Palestine are being oppressed. There are clearly two sides there. One side is torturing. The other one is being tortured,” Arafat said.
“Bangladesh favors the oppressed people and we stand for the freedom of the Palestinian people,” he said.
The state minister said Israel’s brutal killings in Gaza are depriving the occupied people of their basic rights.
He suggested that the Muslim Ummah should act in unison to stop this carnage and tell the truth to the world.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called upon world leaders to take steps to ensure humanitarian access to Gaza, end the illegal occupation and enforce a ceasefire, he mentioned.
In the interview, he also said what is happening in Gaza is beyond religion, country, ethnicity.
“Humanity is being defeated there. Women and children are being killed brutally and civilians are falling victims of genocide,” he said.Noting that the people have no freedom in Gaza, he stressed the need for presenting the truth to the world without issuing counter statements and making debates on the issue.
The state minister went to Turkey on February 23. He will return home on February 28.
