AhlulBayt News Agency: The Embassy of the State of Palestine and the Institute of African Knowledge (INSTAK) yesterday held a joint flag-raising ceremony at the Museum of African Liberation in Harare to reaffirm solidarity between Zimbabwe and Palestine amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Speaking at the event, Palestinian Ambassador to Zimbabwe Dr Tamer Almassri said Zimbabwe had demonstrated unwavering support for the Palestinian cause since the onset of an Israeli genocide that has lasted two years.
“Zimbabwe assures us every day that it’s a country with principles that doesn’t forget the oppressed people everywhere,” he said.
“We lost more than 76 000 victims – mainly women, children and the elderly – and Israel destroyed the entire Gaza Strip.”
He commended President Mnangagwa for being the first African head of state to direct humanitarian assistance for Palestinian victims through the United Nations at the beginning of the conflict.
“Zimbabwe was with us before the genocide, during our struggle against Israeli apartheid occupation and continues to stand by us today,” Ambassador Almassri said.
“The strong ties between the Palestine Liberation Organisation and the Zimbabwean Liberation Movement before 1980 remain a cornerstone of our friendship.”
Ambassador Almassri said Palestinians drew strength from Zimbabwe’s history of resistance and liberation.
“When we read the Zimbabwean experience, we discovered that people cannot be broken. Despite pressure, rivers of blood and mountains of bodies, all colonial powers will fall and the people and their legacy will continue,” he said.
Ambassador Almassri thanked the African Liberation Museum for partnering with the embassy to host the symbolic ceremony, which included the planting of a Palestinian tree and the raising of the Palestinian flag.
“This initiative means a lot. Though far apart geographically, Palestine and Zimbabwe are twins,” he said.
INSTAK chief executive, Ambassador Kwame Muzawazi said the event reinforced Zimbabwe’s long-standing support for Palestine’s right to self-determination.
“We would like to register our profound appreciation and solidarity with the people of Palestine in their quest for statehood and independence from all forms of colonisation,” he said.
Ambassador Muzawazi said Palestine had supported Africa’s liberation movements and that Zimbabwe had recognised Palestine’s struggle soon after independence.
“As early as 1983, Zimbabwe opened and welcomed the Embassy of Palestine in Harare. This is a continuation of that history,” he said.
Ambassador Muzawazi said the international community must act decisively to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“The time to stop the genocide in Gaza is now,” he said.
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