By Yadnom Awu/ Asaba
A coalition of pro- transparency nations yesterday began a two-day summit on Israeli military , economic and political policies in Palestine, especially the Gaza Strip.
The summit is being co- hosted by Colombia, which has cut diplomatic relations with Israel, and South Africa, which has dragged the Jewish nation before the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ), both in The Hague, Netherlands.
Israel is charged with genocide and the breach of international and humanitarian law by its conduct in Gaza where it is mounting a two-year old war and humanitarian blockade of the enclave.
The Bogota meeting, which ends today, is drawing participants from more than 30 countries, including Turkiye, China, Qatar and Portugal.
Addressing the meeting , the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur, Francesca Albanese, said the situation in Gaza was inhuman as Israel, by its military and humanitarian measures, had made it uninhabitable.
Also speaking at the historic meeting, the Director -General (DG) of South Africa ‘s International Relations Directorate , Zaine Dangor, hailed the summit, saying it had from showed that the world was coming to terms with what he termed grievous evils being perpetrated in Gaza by Israel.
The Palestinian envoy to the United Nations (UN), Riyadh Mansour, commended the participants for their uncommon courage to challenge the impunity of Israel in Palestine, particularly in Gaza.
The summiteers say they hope to liaise with the Madrid Group, a coalition of mainly Western countries opposed to Israel’ s conduct in the Middle East, particularly in Palestine.
The summit is examining ways to boycott Israel, cut economic, political and military contact with it, and uphold the ICC order for the arrest and trial of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several other Israeli officials for genocide in Gaza.
The arrest warrant equally applied to Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, who has since been eliminated by Israel.
The Hague Group was formed in January this year following America’s persistent shielding of Israel from accountability for its actions and inactions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
