NAIROBI—Kenyan legislators are taking a hard stance in the ongoing Middle East conflict as death toll in the besieged Gaza strip hits more than 17,480 eight weeks after Israeli forces launched the casualty-ridden offensive following a surprise dawn attack by Hamas on the 7th of October.
In separate statements this week, five Members of Parliament (MP) have expressed concern over what they termed “atrocious campaign” by the Israeli armed forces.
The Palestine-Israel conflict calls for unified global attention since the height of the dispute continues to exhibit scary and heartbreaking repercussions, with humanity, especially innocent children, exposed to suffer the harshest inhuman consequences.
Eldas MP Adan Keynan, Kenya’s longest serving lawmaker, has called for a ceasefire saying the war is having a “scary and heartbreaking repercussions, with humanity, especially innocent children, exposed to suffer the harshest inhumane consequences.”
“The terrifying images linked to the escalating feud display the brim and the height of an unimaginable pain,” Keynan said, adding that the Palestine-Israel conflict calls for unified global attention. “This calls for an urgent ceasefire,” he added.
His Lagdera Constituency counterpart Farah Maalim, a fierce critic of the Israeli offensive against the Palestinians in Gaza, said Hamas fighters deserve global accolade for their struggle “for humanity.”
“Palestinians live free in homeland or die with dignity. Hamas freedom fighters deserve Nobel Peace Prizes for fighting for humanity,” Farah, a ranking MP and formerly the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, said on Saturday.
Israeli Soldiers Cried Loudly After All Their Friends Eliminated By Hamas https://t.co/qrdM8TR3pf via @YouTube. GOD is GREAT!!! Look at how the HAMAS lions are decimating the cowardly Zionist IDF child killers. Whatever goes around comes around. Palestinians live free in homeland…
While reacting to a United States (U.S.) veto on a United Nations Security Council demand for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the war between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, Mandera North MP Bashir Abdullahi said: “So their (U.S.) message to Israel is very clear: continue killing children and women in Gaza and we support you.”
Thirteen Security Council members voted in favour of a brief draft resolution, put forward by the United Arab Emirates on Friday, while the United Kingdom abstained.
World leaders, international rights groups and United Nations officials have criticised the United States for vetoing a UN resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and failing to halt the war.
“CENSORSHIP OF THE PRESS”
Kamukunji MP, Yusuf Hassan while castigated Meta for curtailing the freedom of speech and the press following Facebook’s censorship of Kulan Post over its coverage of Kenyans expressing solidarity with the Palestinians in the besieged Gaza strip, said move was aimed at “concealing the truth.”
KAMUKUNJI MP @MPyusufhassan has castigated @Meta for curtailing the freedom of speech and the press following Facebook's censorship of Kulan Post over its coverage of Kenyans expressing solidarity with the Palestinians in the besieged Gaza strip.
“I am really sorry about this,” noted the former BBC broadcaster, who also served as Senior Policy Adviser for the UN Secretary General in New York in 2002 and the head of a UN news agency in 2006.
He continued: “I express my support and solidarity with Kulan Post. This poses a significant threat to our democracy and human rights, constituting a grave violation of fundamental rights, including freedom of the press and free speech.
“These deliberate actions aim to censor and muzzle the media, concealing the truth. Such unilateral and arbitrary measures are subjective, intrusive, and utterly unacceptable.
“It is even more surprising that these sentiments are coming from those who advocated for the principles of democracy, human rights, equity, social justice, and the rule of law. The idea that they would practice these kind of double standards and they would deny these fundamental rights to the oppressed people of Palestine and their supporters is indeed preposterous.”
Amnesty International country director, @irunguhoughton challenge President Ruto to raise Gaza atrocities when meeting with Western leaders "in his many trips." pic.twitter.com/w3fglvPAAU
Mandera South MP, a vocal anti-Israeli campaign against Palestinians said: “the world is being silenced on situation in Gaza.”
“This sad,” noted the lawmaker over the media censorship by major social networking sites.
“It just shows how the world is being silenced on situation in Gaza.Most of that war is being fought on social media platforms through misinformation,” he added.
“President Ruto’s change of tune”
While Kenya has traditionally called for a two-state solution to end the long-running Israel-Palestine tensions, President Ruto, in a statement on October 7, termed the attacks as “acts of terrorism that poses a significant threat to international peace.”
Five days later in Saudi Arabia, Ruto changed tuned, noting that the situation was “complex and delicate” but only called for the de-escalation of violence and urged all parties to restrain from further military action.
“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 their deepest sympathy and send condolences to the families of all victims. We also wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” he said then.
“Kenya strongly maintains that there exists no justification whatsoever for terrorism, which constitutes a serious threat to international peace and security. All acts of terrorism and violent extremism are abhorrent, criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of the perpetrator, or their motivations.”
HHis initial sentiments contradicted the African Union which castigated Israel for causing the conflict through unlawful occupation of Palestinian territory.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei later defended President Ruto, saying the head of state was referring to a particular incident of violence, not a departure from Kenya’s traditional stance of calling for a two-state solution.
