By Riyaz ul Khaliq
ISTANBUL (AA) - The Palestinian top diplomat in Japan drew parallels on Tuesday between the "unspeakable horrors" of the Hiroshima nuclear bombing and the onslaught in the Gaza Strip during an “Alternative Peace Ceremony” in Japan.
The local government in Hiroshima hosted foreign diplomats, including from Israel, to commemorate the US bombing of Japan.
Waleed Siam from Palestine, however, was not invited by the local government which defied public demands to disinvite officials from Israel which is engaged in a devastating assault against Gaza.
The US dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima, the site of the world's first atomic bomb, on Aug. 6, 1945, and then Nagasaki on Aug. 9, resulting in at least 140,000 deaths by the end of that year.
Japan is commemorating the 79th anniversary of the atrocity this year and participants at a peace event in Hiroshima observed a moment of silence at 8.15 a.m. (2315GMT), the time when the US dropped the first nuclear bomb in 1945.
“As a Palestinian enduring the brutal realities of Gaza, I stand before you with a burning rage and a relentless demand for liberation and freedom,” Siam said in a virtual address at the event that was hosted by volunteers.
Japan does not recognize a Palestinian state but hosts the General Mission of Palestine in Tokyo.
“Our existence is marred by the suffocating grip of Israeli oppression, and the agonies we face are the direct result of decades of violent subjugation,” Siam told peace activists who gathered in Hiroshima.
He said, however, that his people “will not leave” Gaza.
“We are resilient, this is our land and no power can force us out of our land. We will resist to end this ugly military occupation,” he said.
Noting how survivors of the Hiroshima bombing “bore witness to unspeakable horrors,” Siam said: “We, too, bear the scars of a relentless campaign to erase us.”
Survivors of the bombing are known as “Hibakusha.”
Without identifying the presence of Israeli representatives at the event, the Palestinian diplomat expressed “profound disappointment and frustration that the city of Hiroshima, a symbol of peace, has chosen to be hijacked by the oppressors and their supporters while excluding the victims.”
“The invitation extended to those who perpetuate our suffering, and the absence of our voices, undermines the very principles of justice that Hiroshima stands for,” said Siam.
Lauding the Nagasaki local government that decided against inviting Israeli officials, Siam said: “We call on Hiroshima City to take an honest stand with the oppressed, to honor its commitment to peace by recognizing and including the perspectives of the oppressed and excluding the oppressors.”
The Palestinian diplomat said demanding an end to the Israeli occupation was “not a plea for charity or sympathy” but “this is a demand for justice, for the world to uphold the principles it so often preaches but rarely practices.”
“It's time to enforce the rule of law and international law on the rogue state of Israel,” he said.