Shafaq News / Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani issued a warning on Saturday regarding the potential for the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine to escalate to a point that threatens global energy markets. He also emphasized Iraq's firm rejection of any attempts to depopulate the Gaza Strip and called for the establishment of a fund to support and rebuild the region.

These remarks were delivered during the Cairo Peace Summit 2023, which was convened to address the evolving situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Prime Minister Al Sudani stated that the Palestinian people are experiencing a process of genocide, as civilians in residential areas, churches, and hospitals become targets. He pointed to the massacre at the Hospital in Gaza as revealing the true face of the Zionist occupation, surpassing all red lines.

He went on to assert that "what is happening constitutes a full-fledged war crime, beginning with the killing of the vulnerable and the imposition of a suffocating siege on the remaining neighborhoods." He affirmed that it is challenging to put into words the daily occurrence of horrific acts and massacres, including the burial of innocents under the rubble of their homes on the very land from which they were first displaced during the Nakba of 1948.

Prime Minister Al Sudani described Gaza as a new test for the global system, which has repeatedly failed to uphold the values of humanity, justice, and freedom. He stressed that Palestine stands as a living testament to this failure.

He further emphasized that "the time has come to put an end to this odious occupation and to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people." He affirmed that injustice cannot produce lasting peace, and the only way to achieve security and end violence is by addressing its root causes, beginning with the occupation and policies of racial discrimination.

The Iraqi Prime Minister pointed out that the Zionist entity continues to violate laws, including the laws of war. He highlighted that such violations will impact international security and potentially lead to regional conflicts, endangering global energy supplies, exacerbating global economic crises, and opening the door to deeper and wider conflicts.

He also noted that the Zionist entity persistently breaches the Third Geneva Convention on prisoners of war, the Fourth Geneva Convention that provides protection for civilians in occupied territories, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and more than 78 United Nations Security Council resolutions related to the Palestinian issue.

Prime Minister Al Sudani stressed that if international resolutions were respected and international bodies fulfilled their responsibilities, the Palestinian situation would not have reached its current tragic state.

Furthermore, he conveyed Iraq's strong rejection of any attempt to depopulate Gaza. He firmly stated, "There is no room to discuss resettlement or the creation of refugee camps. Palestinians have no place except their homeland."

He called for an immediate ceasefire, the opening of border crossings, the allowance of humanitarian aid and relief supplies, and the safe and comprehensive exchange of prisoners and detainees.

Moreover, he insisted on the urgent need to completely lift the blockade on Gaza to prevent a recurrence of the current tragedy. He called for the creation of a fund to support and rebuild the region, assuring that Iraq will not delay in providing any possible assistance.

Prime Minister Al Sudani concluded by emphasizing that the Palestinian issue should not be buried or bargained away. It is not within anyone's right to compromise, concede, or donate on behalf of the Palestinian people, as they are the rightful owners of the land and the cause.

He emphasized that international legitimacy, along with all free peoples, calls for a Palestinian state with its capital in Jerusalem, unmarred by settlements, and unburdened by checkpoints and policies of starvation.

He warned that continuing to disregard the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people will only yield more violence, extremism, and greater instability in the region and the world.