Condemnation and Commendation over Mahama’s “Israel-Palestine” comment (Updated)
Mixed reactions have trailed President John Mahama’s call at the United Nations General Assembly for Israel to stop building on Palestinian territories.
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Addressing the General Assembly on Wednesday, President Mahama said: "Ghana supports a two state solution to the conflict. A peaceful and stable Israel, coexisting with a sovereign Palestinian State. To this end we call for an immediate cessation of construction of settlements in the Palestinian territories."
The remark has sparked condemnation from some Ghanaians, and commendation from others.
Taking to Facebook immediately after the President Mahama’s address, some Ghanaians criticised him for daring to weigh in on such a delicate geopolitical subject.
According to them, the President of what they called a third-world country had no business meddling in affairs they said should be reserved for “super powers”.
One Mercy Sabrah wrote that President Mahama had overstepped his diplomatic boundaries, explaining that “Every seasoned politician knows that he was wrong for that diplomatic overreach. This is why Ghana needs people that come from politics and leadership backgrounds to lead.”
Others advanced the argument that supporting Palestine against Israel pits the President and Ghana against God.
“Mr. President, please if you want to get Ghana out the mess you have created then pray for the well-being of Israel, if not then keep quiet. By attacking Israel, you attack God. Ghana cannot stand the wrath of God,” one Samuel Antwi wrote on the GraphicOnline Facebook page.
Echoing Antwi’s comments, Bright Asumani said: “…I want to tell him [President Mahama] not to add more problems to what Ghanaians has [sic]. Israel can take any land in the east as long as God(YAWEH) lives.”
A third group of critics also accused the President of prioritising the problems of other countries over those of Ghana.
“Is President Mahama now the spokesman for the Palestinians....he should look back home here in Ghana and solve the many issues confronting us. He has a very long way to go: Power crisis, political confrontations, teachers’ strike .Doctors’ strike and many many more issues. Please Mr President, solutions begin at home,” One Sammy Berko wrote on Facebook.
“Hey Mr, president, better keep mute on this issue. We don't want any problems on our hands. We have enough already, don't go and bring spiritual ones too on top,” one Eben Asare-Boafo also stated.
Despite the criticisms, there was a flurry of commendation for the President, with many expressing admiration for what they said was his “courageous” tackling of an important issue which they felt had been sidestepped by the leaders of more economically powerful countries.
“Very few leaders have the courage to speak out against this injustice,” Mawuli Dake wrote, adding that it represented a sharp departure from the “Dzi wo fie asem” policy of the late President JEA Mills.
Kamil Issah said: “If this was 2016 and I was a politician, I would have voted for u, [sic] for speaking the truth and been [sic] brave. Thank u for not been [sic] a coward, and thank u [sic] for speaking the truth.”
“Thank you Mr. President for the excellent delivery of your speech especially on Isreal and Palestinian issue. The truth must be told it is Isreal [sic] who is encroaching on Palestinian lands,” one Manaf Attuquaye also noted.
In President Mahama’s speech which lasted almost 20 minutes, he also lauded efforts by the United States (US) and Cuba to normalise relations, describing it as “an important first step towards discarding the relics of the old war represented by the [50-year] economic blockade of Cuba”.
He echoed calls for more inclusivity in the UN - something he said was necessary to reflect the reality and needs of today’s world.
The President said after 70 years of the UN’s existence, it was important that the so-called developing countries were given a more active voice in the organisation.
"Truth be told, it's is long past time. The world that existed in 1945 does not exist now in 2015, so the visionary organisation that was formed to meet the needs of that world must now be reformed to meet the needs of today's world."