THE Namibian Government has joined the ranks of countries condemning the Israeli incursion on Gaza, describing the operation as a “disproportionate use of force” and calling on Israel to withdraw its troops from the Gaza Strip.

In a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs this week, the Government expressed concern over the war between Israel and Hamas militants, which has claimed 600 lives in 11 days and left 3,000 others wounded.
“The Government of Namibia condemns the Israeli bombardments and ground assault on the Gaza Strip. This naked aggression and disproportionate use of force by Israel is unfortunate and only leads to further escalation of violence,” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marko Hausiku.
“The Government of Namibia calls on the Government of Israel to withdraw its troops from the Gaza Strip.”
Namibia called on the UN Security Council to assume its responsibility under the UN Charter and bring to an immediate end the ongoing violence, which it said threatens peace and security in the Middle East.
“The Government of Namibia appeals for calm and urges the two sides to stop the blood-bath in order to allow ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the conflict,” said Hausiku.
The Government called on Israel to respect its mandate under international humanitarian law to protect civilians caught up in the conflict.
Israel’s air and ground assault on Gaza has been largely indiscriminate, with Israeli government officials claiming that Hamas was using civilians as human shields in the war.
Israeli tanks poured into Gaza at the beginning of last week, shelling homes, schools and clinics and killing hundreds of civilians in the process.
Hamas, a hard-line political organisation formed two decades ago, has been on the forefront of resisting Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. Israel has used Hamas’s firing of rockets into its southern territory as an excuse to launch an all out incursion, which so far has been urged on by the United States government.
“Namibia further calls on the Government of Israel to allow the people of Palestine to exercise their right to self-determination, including the right to their land and the creation of a Palestinian State. This is the only viable path which could lead to a comprehensive peace in the Middle East,” Hausiku said.