Published On 10/12/2025
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Last update: 00:59 (Mecca time)
Addis Ababa The activities of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People were held on Tuesday at the United Nations headquarters in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, in the presence of 140 diplomatic missions and many high-level political figures.
Among the most prominent participating diplomatic missions are 19 Arab missions, led by the representative of the Arab League to Ethiopia and the African Union, Mohamed Omar, in addition to the Chairman of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssef, who is the first head of the Commission to participate in this occasion.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Farsin Aghabekian, United Nations Representative in Ethiopia Abubakar Kampo, and Director of the Middle East and Asia Department at the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also participated in the event.
In his opening speech, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission stressed that the event comes in light of the humanitarian catastrophe resulting from the genocidal war in Gaza, which left huge numbers of civilian casualties and widespread destruction of basic infrastructure.
Youssef said that the African Union stands strongly with the Palestinian people in their legitimate right to life in an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital, stressing that international solidarity is not just a symbol, but rather a moral and legal responsibility that requires the international community to work hard to put an end to the massacres, protect civilians, facilitate humanitarian corridors, and provide urgent support to those affected.
He added that the Union will continue to work with its international partners to support renewed peace efforts, and to enhance accountability and respect for international humanitarian law, stressing that the solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict must be based on international dialogue and pluralism, and reflects the international community’s commitment to justice and human dignity.
Constant struggle
For her part, Palestinian Foreign Minister Farsin Aghabekian affirmed that the Palestinian people continue their ongoing struggle for freedom, dignity, independence, and their right to self-determination, noting that this struggle is a natural extension of the peoples’ struggle for liberation.
Farsin said that the suffering of the Palestinians has worsened over decades of the Israeli occupation, which targeted civilians, their lands and property, and reached its peak in the recent massacres in the Gaza Strip, stressing that violations are still continuing in the West Bank and Jerusalem by settlers and occupation forces, in flagrant violation of international law and United Nations resolutions.
She added that solidarity with Palestine should not be an empty slogan, but rather an actual responsibility that is manifested in supporting the rights of Palestinians, protecting children, families and prisoners from violations, and ensuring a safe and dignified future for every Palestinian, stressing that the Palestinian spirit has not been broken despite all the challenges.
Resilience exposes brutality
In turn, the representative of the Arab League, Muhammad Omar, delivered the speech of the Secretary-General of the League, stressing that the Palestinian people faced the most difficult moments with steadfastness and heroism, despite the war of extermination launched by the Israeli occupation over the course of two years, which aimed to erase Palestinian society and obliterate any horizon for its independence.
Omar pointed out that the Israeli violations revealed “brutal faces without a moral ceiling,” citing the suffering of Palestinian children, the destruction of camps, and the displacement of thousands of families.
He stressed that the Palestinian state project has not died despite all the challenges, and that international recognition of Palestine has reached 157 countries, while every new international resolution represents a step towards achieving an independent Palestinian state, opening the way for reconstruction and ensuring the steadfastness of the Palestinian people on their land.
Violations test principles
In his speech, the United Nations representative in Ethiopia, Abu Bakr Campo, said that the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the West Bank is witnessing an unprecedented tragedy, as tens of thousands of civilians have lost their lives and schools, hospitals and homes have turned into rubble, while hunger, disease and psychological trauma have spread.
Campo stressed that the ongoing violations in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, including settlement expansion, demolition and displacement, represent a blatant challenge to international laws and standards, calling for respect for the humanitarian truce and work in good faith to end the illegal occupation.
He also called for ensuring the arrival of humanitarian aid, and achieving a two-state solution in accordance with international law and United Nations resolutions, so that Israel and Palestine live side by side in peace and security within the pre-1967 borders.
The two-state solution
For his part, Director of the Middle East and Asia Department at the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dwanu Khader, said that his country supports the two-state solution and stressed his country’s work with the United Nations and the African Union to ensure the arrival of humanitarian aid and promote a comprehensive political solution.
He added that sustainable peace will only be achieved through serious dialogue and direct negotiations between the parties, and condemned all forms of violence against civilians, expressing Ethiopia’s deep concern about the continued escalation, and affirmed his country’s full support for the recent truce and permanent ceasefire.
The activities of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People this year came in light of a widespread human tragedy and continuing suffering of the Palestinian people, as all participating parties stressed the need to intensify international efforts to achieve just peace, protect civilians, and support the steadfastness of the Palestinian people.