President John Dramani Mahama has delivered a forceful address at the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York, calling for an immediate end to what he described as crimes against Palestinians in Gaza.
He criticised the global body for its reluctance to confront the crisis, stressing that world leaders must not shy away from naming the atrocities for what they are.
“For nearly two years, and for the fear of reprisal, we here in this General Assembly have been playing hide-and-seek with language to find the right words to help us avoid or excuse what we all know is taking place there,” Mahama declared.
In his speech, the Ghanaian leader said the suffering of Palestinians could no longer be ignored, emphasising that “hundreds of thousands of innocent people” were enduring “collective punishment and forced starvation for no reason other than the fact that they are Palestinian.”
He reaffirmed Ghana’s recognition of Palestine since 1988 and reiterated support for a two-state solution, rejecting claims that such a stance amounted to rewarding Hamas. Instead, he argued, it offered the best chance of delivering justice and relief to civilians caught in the conflict.
President Mahama further condemned the recent decision to deny visas to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his delegation, describing it as a “bad precedent” and a direct threat to the integrity of the UN system. While acknowledging wider challenges facing the world—including economic instability, rising nationalism, and the erosion of multilateralism—he warned that Gaza remains a moral test for global leaders, insisting: “The crimes in Gaza must stop.”
