The Socialist Forum of Ghana (SFG) says only full commitment to agreements reached between Palestine and Israel can lead to lasting peace in Palestine and the Middle East.

This was contained in a statement signed by Mr Justice Heneku, the Head of International Relations Department of the Forum, and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, following recent airstrikes and launching of rocket attacks in the region.

The SFG noted that "over the last two weeks, the blatant aggression of the apartheid armed forces of Israel has led to the injury of hundreds of Palestinians and the death of scores of others including women
and children."

The aggression, the statement said, had been in furtherance of Israel’s objective of annexing more Palestinian lands in occupied Jerusalem in "flagrant violation of international law."

It said over the last 24 hours, the situation in Palestine especially on the Gaza strip had degenerated into a full scale war, with the Israeli air force launching close to one hundred raids.

The Forum insisted that the root cause of the current escalation was the "brutal occupation of Palestine by the forces of Zionism with the active support of the imperialist powers."

"The occupation has led to the blatant violations of the rights of the people of Palestine."

It said, "They have been dispossessed of their lands; thrown into exile, dumped into prison without charge or trial and murdered on the flimsiest of excuses."

The statement said there could be no solution to the question of Palestine without a comprehensive resolution of the issue of Zionist occupation in all its ramifications.

The SFG, therefore, stressed the need for all to respect the June 1967 borders of Palestine, the unconditional return of Palestinian refugees, the release of all Palestinian political prisoners and an end to the illegal annexation of Palestinian lands.

It also called for an immediate end of hostilities and a quick return to the negotiation table to deal with all outstanding issues.

"In making the call, we are mindful of the fact that over the years, Israel has flatly refused to abide by agreements reached with the participation of international brokers," the statement added.