At a press conference in Luanda, where photos of debris and children injured and killed during attacks in recent days in the Gaza Strip were shown, Jubrael Alshomali referred to the historical ties between Angola and Palestine, stressing that the relationship remains " on the top".
"We thank Angola for its noble position towards Palestine", said the diplomat, recalling the Angolan President's appeal at the United Nations for the world not to forget the suffering of the Palestinians and defending the implementation of the two States.
"But who refuses this, who refuses? Israel. Who ignores the United Nations resolutions? Israel", accused the Palestinian official, criticizing the support of some Western countries for Israel, despite the country violating the resolutions "that they themselves approved". "It's a shame, a shame," he insisted.
The diplomat also praised the "good speech" of the President of the Republic on Monday, in which João Lourenço gave a portrait of the state of the nation, at the opening of the parliamentary year, also addressing the topic of the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts.
"He said that Palestine has the right to defend itself and to fight for its freedom and independence", he recalled, applauding João Lourenço's support for the Palestinian cause.
The head of state expressed concern about the escalation of tension in the Middle East, condemned the attack by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on Israel and said that although the countries have the right to defend themselves, "the Palestinian people also have the same right, which has been experiencing a situation of continuous occupation and annexation of parts of its territory for decades".
The diplomat accused Israel of causing a genocide, continually bombing Gaza and hitting homes, hospitals, churches, mosques and schools.
He also denied that Hamas soldiers are hidden among the population, saying they are sheltering underground and classified Netanyahu (Israeli Prime Minister) and his government as "criminals".
"Israel is an 'apartheid' state like South Africa," he declared, adding that the Palestinian state is against the killing of civilians. "The state of Israel is killing civilians," he said, noting that 4,000 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict intensified, 70 percent of whom are women and children.
Asked about the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israeli soil, he maintained that this was not the event that started the conflict, reporting episodes of "massacres" since "the Israeli occupation". The attack of "October 7th was a reaction to what happened", he highlighted, reaffirming that they are against the death of civilians.
He also said that the person representing the people of Palestine is the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, and considered that the one who harms the Palestinians is Israel and not Hamas.
Diplomatic relations between Angola and Palestine date back to the 1980s, with around 300 Palestinians residing in the country, the majority of whom are refugees from Lebanon.
This Friday marks the 13th day of the war, which began with the surprise attack by the Islamist group Hamas on Israeli territory, which according to Jewish authorities caused around 1,400 deaths and 4,000 injuries.
Israel reacted to the attack by declaring war on Hamas, imposing a total blockade on the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and beginning intense bombings which, according to Palestinian authorities, have already caused around 4,000 deaths.
