'People of conscience, integrity, compassion, and courage': Hanan Ashrawi thanks Palestine allies for support

Palestinian politician Hanan Ashrawi has thanked supporters of Palestine across the world for their support for Gaza and warned against possible media biases in coverage of Israel's bombardment of the enclave.

Ashrawi, founder of civil society group MIFTAH, released a message thanking Palestine allies for their support amid Israel's fiercest-ever assault on Gaza, which has left almost 3,000 Palestinians dead.

A former member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation's Executive Committee, Ashrawi is one of Palestine's best-known politicians, and is renowned for her criticism of the Israeli occupation and corruption within the Palestinian Authority. She resigned from the PLO committee in 2020, reportedly over the PA's resumption of ties with Israel.

She launched MIFTAH, a platform aimed at promoting good governance and democracy in Palestine and outreach with the rest of the world, in 1998.

"To all people of conscience, of integrity, of compassion, and of courage, I address you from Palestine where we are witnessing one of the most horrific chapters of siege, destruction, bombing and shelling, the deliberate killing of a captive Palestinian population in Gaza that has been held under siege that has been brutally pounded for decades," she said in the video message.

"Now Israel is deliberately destroying their homes, their infrastructure, their institutions, colleges, universities, hospitals, homes, and is claiming self-defence. Since when does an occupier claim self-defence against his occupied, against his victims?"

She said that the Palestinians of Gaza have been without access to food, water, and electricity since Israel launched a "total siege" on the enclave on 9 October.

We spoke to Jeanine, a Palestinian activist & organiser for the @palyouthmvmt, about the role people around the world can have in supporting Palestinians in Palestine and their liberation and resistance movement, and denouncing Israel's war crimes and human rights abuses 👇 pic.twitter.com/o3tzssHmF7

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) October 16, 2023

Israel has bombarded Gaza's population of two million from the "sky, sea, and air" for ten days, leading to the deaths of over a thousand children.

"There was a predisposition not just by the mainstream media but also by Western leaders to claim that Israel is not only in self-defence but to encourage Israel to enable Israel to support Israel and to become party to these crimes against humanity," Ashrawi said.

"This is unacceptable. When you become an apologist for such massacres and crimes then you are complicit."