The Center for Afghanistan, Middle East and Africa (CAMEA) at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) organized an art competition for children aged 8-12 years titled “Expressing Solidarity with the Children of Gaza” to pay tribute to courage and resilience the people of Gaza, especially its children, who bore the brunt of the conflict.
The chief guest on the occasion was H.E. Ahmed Rabaei, Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Pakistan. Mr. Brian Witbooi, Advisor to the South African High Commission in Islamabad; Ambassador Sohail Mahmood, ISSI Director General; and Ms. Amina Khan, CAMEA Director, ISSI also spoke.
In his remarks, Ambassador Ahmed Rabaei expressed deep gratitude on behalf of Palestine to the people of Pakistan for their deep support and solidarity in such testing times. He expressed his pleasure to see the participating students who shared their sincere feelings and contributed to the efforts to support the Palestinian people in the wake of the ongoing conflict. He echoed the concerns of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “who feared there may be no life in Gaza”. He added that seventy percent of the victims in Gaza are children and women, which means more than 21,000 human lives. He further said that more than 20,000 buildings in Gaza have been destroyed by Israeli occupation forces. The people of southern Gaza – more than 1.4 million – waited in a small, crowded area for hope. However, Israel continued to attack Gaza. Speaking about Pakistan, Ambassador Rabaei said he felt at home because people in Pakistan spoke from the heart about Palestine, which showed that Palestinians are not alone in facing challenges while striving for inalienable rights.
DG ISSI Ambassador Sohail Mahmood, in his remarks on the occasion, highlighted the human suffering in Gaza as a result of the relentless Israeli military operations, and particularly the devastating impact on children in Gaza. He noted that over 12,600 children were killed, while those who survived were psychologically traumatized, displaced, homeless and deprived of food and safe drinking water. Thousands of people have lost limbs and will be forced to live disabled and dependent lives. This was the worst part of the ‘collective punishment’ inflicted on the civilian population. He particularly praised the courage and resilience of the people of Gaza, who remained steadfast in the face of unspeakable atrocities and continued to fight for freedom from the illegal occupation. ISSI was overwhelmed by the response when it reached out to young Pakistani students to raise awareness of and show solidarity with the plight of children in Gaza. They composed powerful poetry, drawings and paintings – affirming their support and spreading a message of hope.
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Ambassador Sohail Mahmood lamented that the Security Council’s last attempt at a ceasefire was thwarted by another veto. He noted South Africa’s approach to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in proceedings against Israel for violating its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention and commended the ICJ’s landmark preliminary ruling calling on Israel to take all measures within its power, to prevent acts of genocide. against the Palestinians. Ambassador Sohail Mahmood concluded by emphasizing that everyone should know that there can be no peace in the Middle East without justice for the Palestinians.
In her remarks, Ms. Amina Khan said that the recent events in Gaza and the West Bank have witnessed an unprecedented level of brutality by the Israeli occupation forces, which UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has highlighted as: “We are witnessing the killing of civilians that it is unprecedented and unprecedented in any conflict – in modern history.” She went on to say that the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis have robbed Palestinian children of their childhood and denied them the basic rights every child deserves. Unfortunately, this conflict tragically gave birth to the disturbing aid workers’ acronym “Wounded Child No Surviving Family” (Wounded Child No Surviving Family, WCNSF), which reflects the sad reality of this conflict. She further stated that while South Africa has given us some hope by suing Israel at the International Court of Justice for committing genocide in the Gaza Strip in violation of the 1948 Genocide Convention, unfortunately the recent veto of the UN ceasefire resolution is once again not only devastating but equal with tacit approval of Israel’s ongoing war crimes and genocide. She concluded by pledging to be champions for the children of Gaza, who have shown remarkable strength, determination and resilience in the face of such unprecedented brutality.
In his remarks on the occasion, Mr. Brian Witbooi said the atrocities were blatant and bold and needed to be seen by the whole world. He explained that journalists have run out of adjectives to describe the onslaught and horror we see every day on our television screens, on our mobile phones, on social media and in the mainstream media. The atrocities are well documented and Israel and the West want to start the narrative from October 7, 2023, but we know that what we are seeing today is the culmination of what began 75 years ago with the creation of the State of Israel. 75 years of robbing the land of the Palestinians, 75 years of depriving them of their human rights, 75 years of dehumanization and 75 years under the mobs of the apartheid Zionist regime. He concluded by saying that the struggle in South Africa was a just struggle for human rights and that human rights are universal.
The judges for the art competition were Mr. Nader Al Turk, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Palestine, Mr. Brian Witbooi and Mr. Aqeel Ahmed Solangi, Associate Professor, Department of Painting and Sculpture, National College of Arts, Rawalpindi. Participating schools included Islamabad Grammar School and College (IGSC), SLS Montessori School and College, Pak-Turk Maarif International School and College Islamabad, Froebel’s International School and HeadStart School along with their teachers.
The event concluded with an award ceremony where students who won prizes were presented with trophies and certificates as a token of appreciation by Ambassador Khalid Mahmood, BoG Chairman, ISSI. Later, the participants viewed an exhibition of paintings and poetry inaugurated by Chief Guest Ambassador Ahmed Rabaei.
