Israeli Envoy Alleges Iran Behind Global

By: Michael Mike

Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman has alleged that Iran is at the centre of global terrorism and political unrest, insisting that without a change in the present Iranian political leadership there may be no peace in Middle East and part of Africa.

Speaking in Abuja during the screening of the documentary “We Will Dance Again” directed by Yariv Mozer, shown to commemorate the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack, noted that: “The source of this war and the source of the instability is Iran. Iran is responsible and Iran is the backer of Hamas.. Iran is the backer of Hezbollah, Hutus and all the instability in the Middle East.”

He further alleged that: “They are pumping millions of dollars, billions of dollars, expertise, weapons in order to disabilise the entire region. They know what they are doing,. Iran has also made attempt to disabilize Africa and West Africa and they are beginning their action also in Nigeria.

“Iran under a radical leader is a regime that is sponsoring terror, destruction and mysteries for millions not least for the Iranian people, and the quicker that the world takes action against Iran to remove the leadership and change the leadership the quicker the world will be a better place.

He said: “The world needs to stand together against terrorism . Terrorism in Israel will not stop in Israel. We have seen radical terrorism here in Nigeria like in Israel.

“We have learnt that when it starts in Israel it never finishes there. Countries that face terrorism needs to work together, United to stop it, because I promise you the terrorists are all working together, terrorists do not recognize borders, they do not recognize the states or any other thing.

“So we all need to come together, share our expertise and work together to stop terrorism.

“Israel is ready to share and work togehwr with anybody who wants to tackle and stop trrrorism.”

Freeman said: “Israel’s demand is very clear that the world understands terrorism, Nigeria has been the victim of terrorism, the particularly extremist terrorism and we will need to stand together, side by side all those countries who are fighting against terrorism to ensure that the world is a better place.

“We need to ensure that Hamas can never carry attack like we just saw again. I will say that what we just saw was one place that was attacked, we hadn’t looked at the villages and communities, we didn’t look at the other 900 people who were murdered and their children in their bedroom, killed and burnt alive, and raped.”

He noted that the ideology of Hamas has shown that there won’t be peace in the Middle East unless they are wiped off.

“Hamas is dedicated to the destruction of Israel and want the death of every Jew, that is the words of Hamas.

Anybody wants to see peace in the Middle East, Hamas must be destroyed.
There cannot be peace while Hamas is still existing.”

The envoy added that: “In 2005, Israel left the Gaza Strip, we withdrew all of our soldiers, all of our Jewish citizens, all of the communities, settlement. Since 2005 there haven’t been single Israeli inside the Gaza Strip, when we left there, we left communities, buildings, agriculture settlements, opportunities for people and for Palestinians in Gaza, to build a better future.

“But in 2007, when they elected Hamas and Hamas came into power, since then they have ran a brutal dictatorship and taken all international aids and used it to build terrorism, tunnels and build weapons, if the aids is going to the people, they have impoverished their own people, they created a dynamics where they cannot live, they cannot have decent lifestyle. So if anybody is responsible for what happens it is Hamas.

“Israel has stated clearly we want to have peace with our neighbours. The Palestinians say if you withdraw you will have peace. We withdrew and we received rockets and terrorism. So it is not a reality, the death of any innocent is an absolute tragedy.

“The death of an Israeli or Palestinian child is the same tragedy, the mother mourns, the father mourns, it doesn’t matter. The question is who would we put the blame on for those deaths.

“The Israeli death is clear Hamas murdered in cold bold. In Gaza Israel is doing all it can to avoid civilian casualties.

“Civilian casualties resulted in the fact that Hamas has imbedded itself inside civilian infrastructure, in Gaza. Hamas are inside the hospitals, they are inside the schools, the mosque. They use everything that they can as a structure.

“Hamas unfortunately comes from a wicked ideology that none of us can understand. Every death in Gaza is the fault of Hamas.

“On Oct. 6, there was a cease fire. We weren’t near. Hamas were the ones who started this, and launched this and we will make sure that jHamas will never be able to do that again.”

Israeli Envoy Alleges Iran Behind Global

UK Foreign Secretary Arrives Nigeria in First Trip to Africa

By: Michael Mike

United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary, David Lammy has arrived Nigeria in what is his first trip to the African continent

A statement signed on Sunday by the Senior Press & Public Affairs Officer | Comms Lead, Prosperity and Economic Development, Ndidiamaka Eze disclosed that: “Committing to a fresh approach to Africa that works productively from Morocco to Madagascar, the Foreign Secretary will announce the start of a five-month consultation process, to ensure African voices inform and sit at the very heart of the UK’s new approach to the continent.  

“Accommodating the diverse needs and ambitions of 54 countries, the consultation will guarantee the UK’s relationships across Africa are based on mutual respect and partnership.”

 Foreign Secretary David Lammy said on his visit, that:  “Africa has huge growth potential, with the continent on track to make up 25% of the world’s population by 2050.   

“Our new approach will deliver respectful partnerships that listen rather than tell, deliver long term growth rather than short term solutions and build a freer, safer, more prosperous continent. I want to hear what our African partners need and foster relationships so that the UK and our friends and partners in Africa can grow together.  

“Growth is the core mission of this government and will underpin our relationships in Nigeria and beyond. This will mean more jobs, more prosperity and more opportunities for Brits and Africans alike.”  

The Foreign Secretary is expected to advocate for further collaboration on mutual growth via the UK-Nigeria Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership, signed earlier this year. This partnership is the key vehicle for driving trade and market access between the UK and Nigeria and plays a vital role in the UK’s growth mission.  

He will also advocate for further trade and climate collaboration between Nigeria and the UK in high level meetings with President Tinubu, Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador. Yusuf Tuggar and Lagos State, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.  

The statement said: “Building on President Tinubu’s macro-economic reforms, the Foreign Secretary will announce a diverse Technical Assistance package to the Nigerian Ministry of Finance, offering British expertise from the Bank of England, HMRC and others to help continue to modernise and diversify the Nigerian economy.”

The statement added that: “Catalysing reform across Nigeria will create further opportunities within the flourishing Nigerian economy for British businesses – generating growth, jobs and incomes for Brits and Nigerians.”

UK Foreign Secretary Arrives Nigeria in First Trip to Africa

Israel’s New Displacement Order: Aid Organisations Warn of Escalation of Humanitarian Catastrophe in Gaza

By: Michael Mike

Aid organisations have warned of dramatic escalation of humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza following Israel issuance of new mass displacement orders to Palestinian occupying in part of the war-torn city.

A statement on Wednesday signed by a conglomerate of aid organisations including ActionAid, Action for Humanity, CARE International, Danish Refugee Council (DRC), DanChurchAid (DCA), Gender Action for Peace and Security (GAPS), HelpAge International, Humanity & Inclusion/ Handicap International (HI), Islamic Relief
Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), Médecins du Monde France, Spain and Switzerland, Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA), Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA)
Oxfam, Plan International, Premiere Urgence Internationale, Save the Children, Terre des Hommes Italia, The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), and War Child warned that Israel’s new displacement orders in northern Gaza threaten to force civilians into ever-shrinking areas and endanger aid operations.

The statement read that: “On 6 October 2024, Israel issued new mass displacement orders targeting the remaining Palestinians of the northern Gaza Strip, ordering them to leave to the south. This move will worsen the already dire humanitarian situation in the north and has prevented international and national humanitarian organisations from carrying out already very limited life-saving aid operations. The new orders have obstructed humanitarian actors from providing necessities such as health services, clean water, food and nutrition services, taking away the remaining lifelines for the civilian population.”

It added that: “Nowhere in Gaza is safe for civilians. Given the severity of the needs, humanitarian actors must be able to distribute aid and continue their work, without threat of displacement or military operations. The undersigned aid organisations urge all parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations to protect civilians and facilitate unhindered humanitarian access at all times.”

The statement added that: “The UN estimates 400,000 people remain in the north. On Sunday, Israel ordered residents to flee through dangerous routes to already overcrowded areas such as Al-Mawasi in the south. These areas remain insecure with active fighting and routine airstrikes, despite being unilaterally designated by Israel as a “humanitarian zone”. Given the short notice to move and the large population in the affected area, many are likely to remain, increasing the risk of further civilian casualties.

“The undersigned aid organisations demand the protection of all civilians in line with international humanitarian law and are particularly concerned about children, pregnant women with complications or at advanced stages of pregnancy and other people who are sick, older people, persons with disabilities, or are otherwise unable to leave. The new orders impact Palestinians living close to the Netzarim corridor. Further reports indicate that Israel intends to expand the Netzarim corridor to reinforce the separation between the north and south, effectively preventing people from returning north and further restricting aid flow to a population already enduring catastrophic levels of hunger.

“Civilians who do not leave the area do not lose their right to protection. Under international humanitarian law, Israel is defined as the occupying power and a party to the conflict. Both roles carry obligations to guarantee the protection of the civilian population and facilitate their unhindered access to humanitarian aid.

According to the statement, Paula Gaviria Betancur, UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons has said that “Israel is seeking to permanently alter the composition of Gaza’s population with ever-expanding evacuation orders and widespread and systematic attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure”, in violation of IHL.

The aid organisations call for a permanent ceasefire, the protection of civilians and a scale up of humanitarian aid.

The aid organisations noted that the forcible transfer of Palestinian civilians in Gaza is a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention and does not amount to a permissible evacuation, adding that relocation areas have not provided safety, adequate shelter or essential services, and there has also been no guarantee that displaced populations will be able to return once hostilities end.

Israel’s New Displacement Order: Aid Organisations Warn of Escalation of Humanitarian Catastrophe in Gaza