Bangladesh stays beside oppressed people of Palestine: Mohammad Ali Arafat

State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat said that Bangladesh stays beside the oppressed people of Palestine.

He said this in an interview with Qatar-based media 'Al Jazeera Arabic' in Istanbul, Turkey regarding the Israeli invasion in Gaza, genocide and Israel's disinformation campaign against Palestine.

Arafat is now in Turkey to attend the Islamic Conference of Information Ministers of OIC member countries.

When asked about Bangladesh's stance on the Palestine crisis, the state minister said Bangladesh is always supporting the oppressed people of Palestine as Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's position in this regard is very robust and clear. 

The premier attended the Munich Security Conference a few days ago, he mentioned. 

In the conference, the Bangladesh prime minister clearly stated that what is happening in the Gaza Strip is genocide, he said adding "This is our stance". 

"We believe the people of Palestine are being oppressed. There are clearly two sides there. One side is torturing. The other one is being tortured," Arafat said. 

"Bangladesh favors the oppressed people and we stand for the freedom of the Palestinian people," he said.

The state minister said Israel's brutal killings in Gaza are depriving the occupied people of their basic rights. 

He suggested that the Muslim Ummah should act in unison to stop this carnage and tell the truth to the world. 

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called upon world leaders to take steps to ensure humanitarian access to Gaza, end the illegal occupation and enforce a ceasefire, he mentioned.

In the interview, he also said what is happening in Gaza is beyond religion, country, ethnicity. 

"Humanity is being defeated there. Women and children are being killed brutally and civilians are falling victims of genocide," he said.
Noting that the people have no freedom in Gaza, he stressed the need for presenting the truth to the world without issuing counter statements and making debates on the issue.

The state minister went to Turkey on February 23. He will return home on February 28.