Chief Adviser to the interim government Muhammad Yunus has called for recognition of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Yunus made the appeal while delivering a speech in Bangla at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Friday noon New York time.
“I have always spoken words of hope to people; I have never endorsed action through fear,” the chief adviser said.
“But today I must step aside from that tone and speak bluntly. I warn that extreme nationalism, geopolitics that harm others, and indifference to the suffering of other peoples are undoing decades of hard-won progress.”
He described the situation in Gaza as uniquely tragic.
“We are witnessing the most heartbreaking scenes there. Children are dying prematurely from hunger, civilians are being killed indiscriminately, and entire communities – hospitals, schools and neighbourhoods – are being wiped out.
We join the UN independent inquiry in stating that an indiscriminate genocide is unfolding before our eyes. It is a disgrace that humanity is not doing its utmost to stop it. If this continues, future generations and history will not forgive us.”
Speaking on behalf of the people of Bangladesh and the conscience of the world, Yunus reiterated a two-state solution as the only just way forward.
He added, “I urge immediate implementation of a two-state resolution through establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the pre-1967 borders.
“Only then – when Israel and Palestine can coexist in peace on those lines – will justice be fully realised.”
