General News of Sunday, 6 September 2009

Source: GNA

Palestinian group protest Israeli Foreign Minister Visit

Accra, Sept. 6, GNA - The Palestinian Solidarity Campaign and its allies in Ghana have condemned the visit of Israeli Foreign and Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Avigdor Liberman to Ghana on Monday. A statement issued by Dr. Yao Graham, a member of the group described Liberman as a man whose actions and pronouncements stokes racist violence.

"He is a leading promoter of apartheid in Israel against non- Jews. Such is his hatred of Palestinians that he once offered to help drown the thousands of Palestinians in Israeli jails in the Dead Sea. That Ghana, a country that prides itself on being a model of democracy in Africa and has been in the forefront of anti-racism, anti-colonialism and peace in the international arena should host such a man raises questions about the principles guiding the foreign policy of the National Democratic Congress government," the statement said.

The statement said Liberman's visit to Ghana was part of an offensive by the Benjamin Netanyahu- led government to find friends and allies at a time that Israel was facing pressure to respect international resolutions for supporting the creation of an independent and viable Palestinian state.

It said Liberman was bitterly opposed to the key principles, which have been recognised by the United Nations and International bodies as basic elements towards the possibility of a just and lasting peace for the Palestinian people.

It claimed that in May 2006, Liberman called for the killing of Arab members of the Israeli parliament who met the members of the Palestinian authority which was then led by Hamas. The statement urged all democratic and peace loving Ghanaians to denounce Mr. Liberman's visit to Ghana and communicate their displeasure to the government of President John Evans Atta Mills.