Sri Lanka president calls for establishment of Palestinian state within five years

ECONOMYNEXT — Sri Lanka continues to support the establishment of a Palestinian state within five years, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said.

Speaking at a religious service held on Sunday June 23 at the New Kathankudy Grand Jummah Mosque for the people of Gaza affected by the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, Wickremesinghe said it is essential to set a deadline because discussions have been ongoing over four to five decades.

“The government maintains a steadfast position on the Gaza issue, which will not change. If Israel has issues with Hamas, retaliation should not be taken against the people of Gaza. It is crucial to assist Palestine in finding solutions. Our stance is to establish the Palestinian state within five years. It is essential to set a deadline because discussions have been ongoing over four to five decades. Therefore, we must take action according to a specific time frame,” the President’s Media Division (PMD) quoted Wickremesinghe as saying.

“If Israel faces security challenges, those should be addressed separately. However, the creation of the Palestinian state is imperative. The loss of many innocent lives deeply concerns us and we unequivocally condemn it,” he said.

Wickremesinghe noted that the government of Sri Lanka has initiated the Gaza Fund to assist children affected by the Gaza conflict.

“As the first step, we donated one million US dollars. Despite being a small county and facing economic challenges, we have contributed this amount. We urge the public to support this cause and I express sincere gratitude for every donation received,” he said.

According to the PMD statement, the New Kathankudy Grand Jummah Mosque has donated 10,769,417) rupees to the “Children of Gaza” Fund. Trustees of the mosque presented the donation cheque to the president during the ceremony.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in April thanked Sri Lanka for its financial contribution to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. (Colombo/Jun24/2024)