Algerian Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs, National Community Abroad, and African Affairs, Ahmed Attaf, took part Thursday in Kampala (Uganda) in the meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Ministerial Committee on Palestine, held on the sidelines of the 19th NAM Ministerial Meeting.
In his address, Attaf stressed that “the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, while representing a significant step forward, must be reinforced by an integrated approach that addresses the urgent needs of the Palestinian people while laying the foundations for lasting peace in the region.”
He emphasized that “the success of this agreement hinges on the full respect of all commitments made to consolidate the ceasefire, ensure the withdrawal of Israeli forces, and guarantee unrestricted access to humanitarian aid. More importantly,” he added, “the ceasefire must be accompanied by a credible and serious political process to accelerate the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State as the only just, sustainable, and definitive solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
Attaf further noted that “the time has come for the international community to recognize that the establishment of this State is not only essential to meet the legitimate national aspirations of the Palestinian people, but also a local, regional, and global imperative.”
He explained that it is a local imperative to end eight decades of injustice suffered by the Palestinian people due to the ongoing occupation and denial of their rights; a regional imperative to put an end to the dangerous spiral of escalation fueled by Israel’s expansionist ambitions embodied in the so-called ‘Greater Israel’ project; and a global imperative to uphold international law, preserve the credibility of the United Nations, and reaffirm that no one is above the rules, principles, and values embraced by the international community.
