Questions As President Ruto Backs Israel, Denounces Palestine Offensive
On October 8, President William Ruto came out in favor of Israel in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, condemning the Palestinian offensive as terrorism.
The president demanded that those responsible for the violence in Israel be brought to justice, condemning the attacks as a menace to international peace and security.
“Kenya joins the rest of the world in solidarity with the State of Israel and unequivocally condemns terrorism and attacks on innocent civilians in the country. The people of Kenya and their government hereby express deepest sympathy and send condolences to the families of all victims,” Ruto wrote.
However, Ruto’s position contradicted those of other African leaders who held divergent views on the subject.
For example, Algeria’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement referring to Israel’s attack in Gaza, which “claimed the lives of innocent sons and daughters of the Palestinian people who died as martyrs under the continued Israeli occupation.”
He did not, however, mention the Palestinian attack on Israel that sparked this most recent conflict.
Likewise, Tunisian President Kais Saied declared his “complete and unwavering support for the Palestinian people.”
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“What some media describe as the Gaza enclave is Palestinian land that has been under Zionist occupation for decades, and it is the right of the Palestinians to take it back and to take back all Palestinian land,” Saied elaborated.
On the other hand, the African Union, headed by its chairman Moussa Faki, condemned the conflict and expressed its condolences to those affected.
Faki did not expressly adopt a side, but he emphasized that the primary cause of the conflict is the “denial of the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people, particularly the right to an independent and sovereign state.”
The only other head of state to adopt a similar stance was Congo’s Felix Tshisekedi, who wrote, “The Head of State expresses his solidarity with the Israeli people and condolences to the victims and their families.”
Throughout the years, Israel and Palestine have engaged in numerous skirmishes, some minor and others calamitous, which have resulted in the deaths of thousands.
The most recent conflict began when Hamas, which Israel considers to be a terrorist organization, launched air, sea, and land attacks on the premise that Israel was illegally occupying Palestinian territory.
This prompted the Middle Eastern country to initiate retaliatory attacks that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people.
Questions As President Ruto Backs Israel, Denounces Palestine Offensive