Ghana is not known to shy away from international politics. This is evidenced from the days of our first President Kwame Nkrumah whose famous quote: “the independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked with the total liberation of Africa” and the projection of Ghana in the international community is apt evidence.
Kwame Nkrumah was on a trip to Hanoi for an official assignment when the coup of February 24, 1966 toppled his government.
Ghana is a major player in international politics, and to think we shall fold our arms and not express our position on major international issues cannot be an attribute of ours.
Last week, the Israeli envoy to Ghana organised a film show to project the image of his country, the second such overture to the people of Ghana.
Roey Gilad, the Israeli ambassador, is on a mission to repair the unfortunately battered image of his country which is becoming a pariah, shunned by most countries of the world.
When a country reaches such a worrying state in the international community, the Foreign Affairs Ministry in the home country should have her missions abroad work overdrive to reverse the picture, which is just what the envoy is doing.
During last week’s dented image reversing film show, the envoy took a gentle, if you like diplomatic, swipe at the government which as represented by the Foreign Affairs Ministry did not oblige an invitation for the programme.
He referred to, as he put it, snobbish receptions accorded the Israeli embassy anytime the mission sought audience with them at the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
The foregone stems from the stated position of Ghana under the present political administration on the genocide in Gaza and the condemnation of same.
The reality of genocide by scholars, United Nations (UN) and other appropriate agencies is undeniable by the whole world, including Ghana but Israel.
Ghana’s position on the Gazan issue is unwavering and our government could not have stated it otherwise.
We are opposed to the use of such brutality on a people, including the weaponisation of food in a dehumanising effort to wipe out a whole people.
We do not agree with what happened on October 7 on Israel, but the disproportionate retaliatory war on unarmed women and children which killed over 60,000 persons cannot be justified.
Even as the so-called ceasefire holds, Israel still finds cause to continue killing unarmed Gazans by the occupation forces.
And the Israeli mission wants our government and people to pretend that nothing untoward is happening in this part of the Middle East?
Israel’s impunity to international law has gone past the redline, and for the envoy to think a film show is enough to reverse our image about Israel under Benjamin Netanyahu is to belittle our intelligence.
Using the outstanding bodies of Israeli captives buried under the rubbles of Gaza as part of the ceasefire terms, to continue to kill armless women and children is the height of hypocrisy and inhumanness.
If Bibi wants the bodies of the dead Israelis, he should allow the international community such as Turkey bring in the relevant equipment to seek and retrieve same.
Saying no to such gestures means that Bibi is not yet done with his killing mission.
We stand by our Foreign Ministry in the just posture against genocide, especially as it is playing out in Palestine. We believe that only the two-state solution can address insecurity in this part of the Middle East.
As for an apology from our government, they won’t get it.