Srinagar: National Conference (NC) on Wednesday condemned “atrocities” by Israeli forces in Palestine and asked Muslim countries to put up a strong and united face to mount pressure on the Jewish state to immediately stop the aggression.
In a joint statement, NC leaders, including party president Farooq Abdullah and vice-president Omar Abdullah, condemned in the strongest of terms the atrocities being committed and expressed solidarity with the Palestinians.
Condemning the Israeli attacks in unequivocal terms, the leaders said that even in the holy month of Ramazan, Israel has “unleashed an unjust and despicable war” in East Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Jarrah and Bab Al-Amud resulting in killing of scores of innocent Palestinians.
“Even women and children are not being spared,” they said.
Expressing anguish and pain at the Israeli assault on Islam’s third holiest site Masjid Al-Aqsa, the NC leaders said nothing can be more tragic than the “deafening silence” of some prominent Muslim countries.
“Just to please the US, they couldn’t muster courage to condemn the Israeli aggression against the Palestinians. They should put up a strong and united face and mount pressure on Israel and its allies to immediately stop this aggression in Palestine,” the party said.
The leaders said the people of Jammu and Kashmir stand in solidarity with the victims and those who are being forced out of their homes in this holy month.
“We pray for justice, for a cessation of this violence and suppression and for the safeguarding of the lives of our brothers and sisters in Palestine”, they added.
Meanwhile, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said the deafening silence of the world community on deadly strikes by Israel against Palestine and killing of innocent civilians was shocking.
“Deafening silence of world community on deadly strikes by Israel against Palestine killing innocent civilians is shocking. Even symbolic condemnations come with a rider justifying the violence in the name of Israel’s right to self defence. What about Palestine’s right to life,” Mufti asked on Twitter.
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) also denounced the Israeli attacks on Palestinians, saying that the air raids carried out by Israel on the Gaza strip led to the death of many Palestinian citizens.
“Israel is moving towards the complete occupation of East Jerusalem by attacking Palestinians who were protesting its attempt to forcefully expel residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood to make way for Jewish settlements. Israeli forces raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the third holiest shrine for Muslims, and injured hundreds of people praying in the Mosque during the month of Ramazan,” CPI(M) said in a statement.
Netanyahu, who had repeatedly failed to win a majority in the Israel elections, launched these attacks for petty political gains and to cover up the government’s failure to protect people from the raging Covid pandemic, it said.
Palestinians living in Israel are even discriminated from being vaccinated, reflecting the apartheid policies pursued by Israel, the statement said.
It added that these acts of Israel are in gross violation of human rights and various resolutions passed by the UN.
The CPI(M) condemned these acts and calls upon the Government of India to voice its support to the people of Palestine, the statement said.
Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), an amalgam of various religious organisations, also condemned the Israeli aggression on Palestinians and described it as sheer violation of basic human rights.
The MMU, led by Mirwaiz Muhammad Umar Farooq, condemned the bombing and killings of Palestinians by “oppressive Israeli and Zionist forces”.
“The MMU also strongly denounced that attack on innocent worshippers inside Masjid Al-Aqsa in occupied Jerusalem that too in the holy month of Ramadan and on the night of Laylat-ul-Qadr,” it said in a statement.
“This attack by Israel is inhuman and exposed the nefarious motives of the occupier Zionist regime, which is to evict Palestinians from their home and usurp their land. The MMU expressed solidarity with the families of the martyrs,” the statement said.
The religious grouping also stressed upon global human rights organisations, United Nations and Organisation of Islamic Countries to take steps to ensure protection of the people of Palestine.
