By Saio Marrah
Israel has asked Sierra Leone to support them at the United Nations Security Council and in other fora like the African Union regarding the ongoing war between that country and “Hamas” militants in Gaza. The ambassador welcomed Sierra Leone’s intention to open an embassy in Israel.
Shlomit Sufa, Israeli ambassador to Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone addressed a news conference in Freetown on Monday 12th February 2024, before meeting with the authorities.
The ambassador oted that she was in Sierra Leone because according to her, the two countries had maintained a good relationship for a long and that Israel was happy to see Sierra Leone being elected as a member of the United Nations Security Council.
She said the position puts Sierra Leone at the center of the Security Council of the UN for world peace and pointed out that it means Sierra Leone bears a great responsibility for whatever they say for peace and security on the globe. “So we highly respect Sierra Leone’s seat in the Security Council, and we follow closely of course Sierra Leone’s statements within the context of this conflict between Israel and Hamas,” she said.
She added: “What I would like to say to Sierra Leoneans is that at the end of the day the relations between Israel and the Palestinians, it is not a zero-sum game. If you want to be pro-Palestinians, you don’t have to be anti-Israel and vice versa.”
She said there are all kinds of statements delivered or promoted by countries or entities that are hostile to Israel, so her country would like to see Sierra Leone take a nuanced position, a position that will take into account the many elements that are in an extremely complex situation. “I am happy to say that this is what we have seen in Sierra Leone’s statement in the Security Council. You can see that they are carefully crafted; they contain many elements that we are pleased with. For example, condemnation of Hamas, supporting Israel’s right to live in security, calling for the immediate unconditional release of our hostages,” she pointed out.
The ambassador added: “And there are elements in Sierra Leone’s statement we do not like so much, but we understand that the position of Sierra Leone is much nuanced and carefully crafted. We appreciate the effort.”
Commenting on whether she was in Sierra Leone because the world was turning its back on Israel so there was a need for them to come and explain their side of the story, ambassador Sufa, who is resident in Ghana, maintained that the two counties have been having so many channels. She also added that there are ever-growing conversations between the two countries on so many issues and that she had been frequently visiting the country recently.
She said Israel is doing all it could to reduce the amount of civilian casualties in Gaza, but that the “militants “of Hamas were using human shields to carry out their mission.
Copyright © 2024 Politico (16/02/24)
