The Palestinian Ambassador in Sri Lanka Zuhair Zaid has accused the International Criminal Court (ICC) of failing to act on the complaints lodged by South Africa due to the pressure from the United States and other Western powers.
In an exclusive interview with journalist Saroj Pathirana on the Israel war against Gaza and the Palestinian people's long struggle for an independent state, Ambassador Zaid observed that 'genocide' in Gaza began long before the Hamas attack on Israel on 07 October 2023.
Accusing Israel of carrying out an 'apartheid' policy on the Palestinians, Ambassador Zaid recalled that United States was the last country to support the Nelson Mandela-led struggle against apartheid regime in South Africa. He expressed hope that the Western powers would be forced to change their tacit support for the attack on Palestinians due to pressure from the public.
Ambassador Zaid also spoke about his special relationship with the people and the political leaders in Sri Lanka, including Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sajith Premadasa, Maithripala Sirisena and Anura Kumara Dissanayake and commended the Sri Lankan people's long standing support for the Palestinian people.
He, however, did not mention President Ranil Wickremesinghe or Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the latter who was deposed by the popular uprising 'Aragalaya.'
