Tunisia To Continue Protecting Palestine At International Forums - Ambassador

Tunisia to Continue Protecting Palestine at International Forums - Ambassador

Tunisia considers it a responsibility to stand up for Palestine at various international platforms for as long as the Middle Eastern conflict remains unresolved, Tunisian Ambassador Tarak Ben Salem told Sputnik

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th June, 2021) Tunisia considers it a responsibility to stand up for Palestine at various international platforms for as long as the middle Eastern conflict remains unresolved, Tunisian Ambassador Tarak Ben Salem told Sputnik.

Israel and Palestine's Hamas movement, which governs the Gaza Strip, were locked in an eleven-day armed conflict until a ceasefire was announced on May 20. The hostilities were preceded by days of clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli police in East Jerusalem over an Israeli court's decision to evict several Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

"My country will continue to play its role in all international forums and to take responsibility for the Palestinian problem. Because without the settlement of this issue, the region of the Middle East will never be able to know peace and stability," Ben Salem said.

As a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and the only Arab country at the table, Tunisia has played its part in the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the diplomat said. In mid-May, during hostilities in the Middle East, Tunisia, together with France, Egypt and Jordan, announced the preparation of a draft resolution calling for a ceasefire and an opening of a humanitarian corridor in the conflict zone. The resolution ended up blocked by the United States, however.

"Tunisia worked in close collaboration with all countries that are passionate about peace and justice to assert the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and to stop an aggression which caused dozens of civilian victims, including many children," Ben Salem said.

Since May 25, Tunisia has sent two military planes loaded with medical and health equipment to the Gaza Strip, which for years suffered a land blockade by Israel, he said.