The only way forward allowing for the suffering to end and for de-escalation is the urgent need to revitalise the Middle East Peace Process to reach a durable political settlement, in line with the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, so that Israelis and Palestinians can live side-by-side in security, peace and dignity in a two-state solution, Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry, George Papanastasiou, said on Monday, as he represented President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, at a Remembrance Ceremony held in Nicosia to mark one year after the attack carried out by Hamas in Israel.
On his part, Ambassador of Israel, Oren Anolik said that “Israel is determined to prevent another massacre. It will not allow again the building up of a similar threat meters away from its borders”, he noted.
”One-year ago today, the world woke to the horror and cruelty that still haunts us to this day. 1.200 innocents lost forever. 251 hostages taken, of whom 101 are still in captivity. It was a day marked b
y heinous terror and the blatant disregard for human life and dignity by Hamas as it pursued its murderous terrorist rampage”, Papanastasiou told participants at the ceremony, that was organized by the Embassy of Israel in Cyprus.
He went on to say that Cyprus has, from day one, consistently called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. We have consistently said that this is the key to putting an end – the release of all hostages, an immediate ceasefire and a surge of humanitarian aid to Gaza, he added.
He noted that this “is what will stop the escalation, the death of thousands, the humanitarian catastrophe, the return of the displaced, ending the suffering across the board.”.
Papanstasiou also underlined that there is never, ever, any justification for terror and there is never, ever, any justification for such blatant disregard for human life and dignity.
“No matter where it comes from, no matter whom it concerns. It concerns us all. When rape is used as a weapon of war against w
omen and girls, when children are abducted, our voice needs to be loud, clear, united, unequivocal”, he said.
On his part, Ambassador Anoli said that the October 7 massacre was not just an attack on Israel, it was an assault on humanity and the threat is not directed only towards Israel but the target is the civilized world that cherishes life and upholds values such as democracy, liberty and equality.
“Hamas was not, has never been and is still not interested in peace. Their aim is the eradication of Israel. Their ideology does not stop at Israel’s borders. In Israel we strongly believe that we are standing on the frontlines of a broader battle-a battle for the safety of every free society – including here, in Cyprus – for the right to live in peace without fear of terror”, he noted.
According to the Ambassador, this war could have been avoided. As he said Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, offering the people of Gaza a chance for a different future. But, he went on to say that Hamas “stole away this futu
re. Hamas chose violence, using Gaza as a launching pad for terror, fueled by hatred, funded and supplied by the Iranian regime. Hamas, by its own admission, is committed to repeating this nightmare”.
“Israel is determined to prevent another massacre. It will not allow again the building up of a similar threat meters away from its borders”, he noted.
Ambassador Anolik said that “as far as Hamas – and other jihadist, fundamentalist, terror organizations – are concerned, October 7 was just the beginning”, adding that the ideology that fuels this terror “is spread across the Middle East and beyond” and that “Hezbollah’s unprovoked attacks that started on October 8, show that the threat is not limited to Gaza”.
He also said that we should never forget the dead and keep praying for the hostages to return adding that remembering means we honor the victims and survivors.
Source: Cyprus News Agency