OPPOSITION legislators have dismissed a proposal by the Foreign Affairs Parliamentary Portfolio Committee urging government to rally behind Palestine and condemn Israeli’s military attacks on hapless Palestinians.
BY VENERANDA LANGA
This was after committee chairperson Kindness Paradza presented a report, where Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda advocated for the Zimbabwean government to support the Palestinian cause.
This follows the committee’s visit to the Iran 6th International Conference.
“Atrocities have been committed by Israel in Palestine for 70 years, and the international community must take a concrete plan of action to solve the Palestinian issue,” Paradza quoted the Speaker as having said.
But Kuwadzana East MP Nelson Chamisa (MDC-T) on Thursday dismissed Paradza’s motion, saying his committee had taken a misconceived stance with regards the Palestine-Israel conflict.
“It seems Zimbabwe has chosen a side, and yet the conflict in Palestine cannot be resolved by choosing a side. We need to engage with both Israeli and Palestinian authorities. Our approach is supposed to be revised to ensure we move away from pursuing politics and advance our economic interests,” Chamisa said.
Mabvuku-Tafara MP James Maridadi (MDC-T) said the Palestinian-Israeli issue was like that of brothers fighting each other, adding it was tricky for a foreign and tiny country like Zimbabwe to intervene.
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“Zimbabwe is so significant and when we choose our friends, we must choose them rationally, not emotionally,” he said.
Maridadi said Zimbabwe should value relations with the United States, adding siding with Iran would not help Zimbabwe economically.
Hurungwe North MP Reuben Marumahoko (Zanu PF) criticised Maridadi’s assertions, saying it was better for Zimbabwe to side with Iran because of the military support the country received from the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat during the liberation struggle.
