Muscat: Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidy, Foreign Minister, called for the need to compensate the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip for the loss of innocent lives and those affected by the Israeli war and the need to make a collective and comprehensive effort to alleviate the suffering of the painful humanitarian crisis facing the brotherly Palestinian people.
In an interview with the CNN programme 'Connecting the World with Becky Anderson’, Sayyid Badr, said: “What viewers really everywhere need to know that the people of Palestine are suffering a total humanitarian catastrophe. Over 30,000 have already been killed since last October. Tragic stories of newborn babies dying from starvation. The whole of the Gaza Strip is in famine and it is unspeakable. And this has not been caused by a natural disaster or a disease. This is the doing of the Israeli defence forces.”
“All this is caused by the Israeli side denying the people of Gaza basic living necessities. This is the doing of the state of Israel in complete violation of international law and international humanitarian law. We cannot really but highlight such facts,” he added.
Sayyid Badr said that the world must demand reparations for the loss of innocent lives and destruction inflicted. “US President Biden has called upon the Israelis not to move on to Rafah. The whole world is calling Israel not to move on to Rafah. I think enough is enough. And I will join US Vice President Harris' call for a ceasefire now. This will allow aid to flow by land, and it will also allow Israel's remaining hostages to be released peacefully and not through war and then a process of peace and reconstruction of shattered lives can begin after a ceasefire,” he said.
“In the 1990s, the then US Secretary of State James Baker convened an international conference that would eventually lead to historic agreements between Israel and the Palestinians. I think the United States has the capacity to do exactly the same now. These were supposed to lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state that would live side by side in peace with Israel in what we still call the two-state solution,” he said.
Sayyid Badr stressed on the way to allow aid into Gaza. “The only way to really get the flow of aid as quickly as possible is through the establishment of a ceasefire. I think that is the only way, especially by land, because the people of Gaza need water, food, medicine, fuel, and this can only be supplied in sufficient quantities through land routes, through the various openings that are available, not just through Rafah, but through the various other openings everywhere.”
On whether if Israel is weaponising aid and intentionally starving Gazans, Sayyid Badr said, “Yes, I think that is what is happening. That is what not only me saying, but the whole international community and UN agencies are really witnessing a deliberate policy of starvation and siege on the people of Gaza.”
On the potential for a peace conference that Sayyid Badr is calling for, including having Hamas at the table, he said, “Well, I think if we can establish first an immediate ceasefire and move on swiftly, and this is why we called for a new international peace conference to complete the mission that wasn't completed back in the 1990s.”
“And the purpose of the conference will be to translate the will of the international community for a two-state solution into action by agreeing the necessary arrangements and required guarantees to sustain it under an international peace agreement. Whether today or tomorrow, the whole world has said again and again there is no other way to have sustainable peace in the long term except the adoption of a two-state solution,” he added.
Asked whether he was in touch with the Ansar Allah group or spoken to Iran about their intentions, “I believe there is a very strong connection. In fact, it's the only connection between what's going on in the Red Sea and what's going on in Gaza. If we stop the war in Gaza, we will de-escalate tension everywhere. And I believe the freedom of navigation, which is something we all call for, will be resumed if we simply recognise that connection between the developments in Palestine and Gaza and the disturbances we are witnessing in the Red Sea,” Sayyid Badr said.
“As somebody who supports the people of Gaza and calls for a ceasefire, does that, by implications suggest that you are supporting the Ansar Allah actions at present. I mean, they are deadly. We are not supporting the Israeli actions. We want those actions to be stopped. We want the atrocities stopped everywhere. We are a country of peace. We call for peace everywhere. And we cannot simply expect the continuation of these atrocities in Gaza and witness it without lifting a finger at Israel,” he added.
In conclusion, Sayyid Badr said Oman’s key role is part and parcel of the regional role of promoting a climate of peace, of promoting dialogue, of trying to connect people. “And your programme is called Connect the World. And I hope you will join us in really connecting everybody for the sake of peace and for the sake of prosperity and the development of all of our region. We will continue to play that role. And I believe there are people of goodwill and clear vision on all sides who can do that,” he said.
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