As the conflict rages between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas for the third day on Monday, countries around the world have come in solidarity with Israel while many others have backed the Palestinian armed group.
Israel-Palestine Conflict Explained
Israel’s foreign ministry has claimed that around 84 nations have released statements supporting Israel condemning the Hamas attacks and backing Israel’s right to self-defence. Many countries, especially in the Middle East have praised the Hamas surprise assault that led to several casualties in Israel.
As the evacuation from the border areas continues with the death toll rising above 1,100, here’s a list of countries supporting Israel and Hamas.
Countries Supporting Israel
United States
US President Joe Biden has maintained that the US support for Israel was “rock solid and unwavering”. In a show of support, Biden has also ordered US ships and warplanes to move closer to Israel and sent fresh military aid.
The Pentagon said it was sending the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford and its accompanying warships to the eastern Mediterranean while boosting fighter aircraft squadrons in the region.
Biden also spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday and “conveyed that additional assistance for the Israeli Defense Forces is now on its way to Israel with more to follow over the coming days,” the White House said.
Britain
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has told Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu that Britain was standing with Israel “unequivocally” and working to ensure the world speaks in one voice.
“(Sunak) reaffirmed that the UK will stand with Israel unequivocally against these acts of terror. The prime minister offered Prime Minister Netanyahu any support Israel needs,” the Downing Street office said in a statement.
France
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the attack carried out on Israel and affirmed France’s support for the country. He also held talks with Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I have spoken to President Herzog and Prime Minister Netanyahu. I condemn the attacks carried out from Gaza on Israel, its soldiers and its people. France stands in solidarity with Israel and the Israelis, committed to their security and their right to defend themselves,” Macron said on X (formerly Twitter).
The country has also reinforced security around places of worship and Jewish establishments.
Australia
Australia has urged “restraint” to protect civilian lives in the Gaza conflict and expressed support for Israel and its right to defend itself. Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese blamed the Hamas for violence and condemned the “indiscriminate” targeting of civilians by Hamas.
Albanese said that the “unprovoked” attack was aimed at “creating terror” and added that the “hundreds of people killed in Gaza” was a “real concern”.
Norway
Norway has condemned the surprise Palestinian attacks on Israeli civilians with Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt saying that the country condemns the attacks on Israeli civilians in the strongest of terms.
“Norway condemns in the strongest of terms the attacks on Israeli civilians and calls for an immediate halt to the attacks and violence,” Huitfeldt said.
Norway’s surprise support comes a month after Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt met with both Israeli and Palestinian officials and claimed it was “tragic” for both sides that a Palestinian state still hadn’t been established, NewsInEnglish, a Norway-based news website reported.
Other countries supporting Israel
Several other countries including Austria, Germany, India, Canada, Poland, Spain and the European Union have also expressed support for Israel. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Sunday Israel has the right to defend itself against “barbaric attacks” and “to protect its citizens and to pursue the attackers.”
Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said he has spoken with 17 foreign ministers, mostly from Europe. Meanwhile, Israeli diplomats have also conducted 180 interviews with foreign press since the war started, according to The Times of Israel.
Countries Supporting Palestinian Group Hamas
Iran
Iran has historically been in support of the Palestine cause and Iranian-backed group Hezbollah is currently involved in the conflict attacking Israel near the Lebanon border.
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi spoke with leaders of Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad and hailed the Palestinian attack calling it a “proud operation” and a “great victory”.
“This victorious operation, which will facilitate and accelerate the collapse of the Zionist regime, promises the impending destruction of the Zionist regime,” said Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
South Africa
The ruling African National Congress issued a statement saying, “It can no longer be disputed that Apartheid South Africa’s history is occupied Palestine’s reality.
“As a result, the decision by Palestinians to respond to the brutality of the settler Israeli apartheid regime is unsurprising,” it added. The statement added that it was clear that “the degenerating security situation is directly linked to the unlawful Israeli occupation”.
Yemen
In Yemen, the Huthi rebels who control the capital Sanaa expressed their support for “the heroic jihadist operation”. In a statement on the website of the Huthi-controlled SABA news agency, the Iran-aligned militant group said the attack “revealed the weakness, fragility and impotence” of Israel.
Saudi Arabia
Amid the ongoing conflict, Saudi Arabia has called for a two-state solution and appealed for an immediate halt of war.
#Statement | The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is closely following the developments of the unprecedented situation between a number of Palestinian factions and the Israeli occupation forces, which has resulted in a high level of violence on several fronts there. pic.twitter.com/KEFsNB5ZVb— Foreign Ministry ???????? (@KSAmofaEN) October 7, 2023
“The Kingdom renews the call of the international community to assume its responsibilities and activate a credible peace process that leads to the two-state solution to achieve security and peace in the region and protect civilians,” Saudi Arabia said in a statement.
The Palestinian conflict has been a point of contention in the normalisation talks between the Saudi and Israel for a long time. In recent months, Biden and senior White House officials have attempted to negotiate with both Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel a normalization deal. However, the ongoing conflict will likely impact the talks.
Qatar
Qatar, which has been hosting the Hamas Political office since 2012, said Israel alone was responsible for the ongoing escalation of violence with the Palestinian people.
“Israel alone bears the responsibility for the current escalation due to its ongoing violations of the rights of the Palestinian people, the latest of which being the repeated raids on al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of the Israeli police,” Qatar’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Comments
0 comment