Bangladesh’s Solidarity with Palestine

Since October 7, the world has watched as Israel has conducted a disastrous military campaign in Gaza. This is not the first time that Israel is carrying out such atrocities in the name of defending itself. It is unclear how an occupying force would need defending itself from those it is occupying by force and militarization, among other egregious means.

 
For the Muslim world, the oppression of Palestinians is an important issue in the collective conscience of the ummah. As a Muslim-majority country, and a state that had to undergo its own struggle for freedom and emancipation, Bangladesh stands strong with sheer commitment for supporting the Palestinian cause. PM Hasina has clearly stated her solidarity with Palestine urging the Muslim Ummah to collectively stand beside the Palestinians. Bangladesh’s continued shunning of bilateral ties with Israel are a clear response to Israel’s military occupation and apartheid against the Palestinians. Bangladesh also underscores that the continued Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory and the imposed settlements there will not result in regional peace. Bangladesh firmly favors the UN two-state solution, which would see Israel and Palestine coexist as sovereign, independent states. Bangladesh has condemned the ongoing armed conflict between Israel and Palestine and lamented the casualties it has caused, including civilians. Bangladesh has also observed a nation-wide mourning for the loss of innocent lives in Gaza on the 21st of October and kept the national flag half-staff for the entire day.

Bangladesh’s struggle for independence and the horrific genocide in 1971 inspires it to demand resolution of the Palestinian issue, and to speak out against the injustice and oppression that the Palestinian people have suffered for decades. Bangladesh believes that the current war waged by Israel in Gaza targeting the civilians is not only asymmetric and disproportionate, but it is tantamount to collective punishment of Palestinian people in Gaza and in contravention of all fundamental principles of human rights and international civil accords and conventions, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Bangladesh’s solidarity with the Palestinians is not only rooted in its own history, but also the key values and tenets of its foreign policy that Bangladesh continues to adhere to in every aspect of its global relations. Bangladesh has been one of the strongest and most consistent supporters of the Palestinian cause. The plight of the Palestinian people was recognized by Bangabandhu in his maiden speech to the UN General Assembly in 1974, when he spoke about the rights of the Palestinian people. Article 25 of the constitution of Bangladesh promotes solidarity with “oppressed peoples throughout the world waging a just struggle against imperialism, colonialism and racialism”. Article 25 also supports the right to self-determination. To underscore Bangladesh’s solidarity for Palestine, the Palestinian Ambassador’s recent quote to local media is most significant. He said referring to Bangladesh and the people of Bangladesh’s support for Palestine, “This means that I am not alone in this. In this misery that I'm living in. Someone is helping me 4,000 miles away from my home. I cannot compare this with anything else, with any favour that is being done to the Palestinian people. I will always carry to the grave with me that the people of Bangladesh have been extremely honourable, noble and heroic, to the people of Palestine.”

It is not only a strong reflection of the moral high ground Bangladesh holds in applying and exercising its foreign policy values, but also underscores the respect for moral principles that Bangladesh has. On this day of International Day for Solidarity for Palestinian People, we not only celebrate and reaffirm our commitment to the Palestinian cause, but also should take pride in the position and strong stance that Bangladesh continues to hold in this regard.

The writer is Political and International Affairs Analyst.