As part of his working mission in
Cameroon, H.E. Raphael Morav, Special Envoy of the State of Israel to Cameroon,
held a conference at the International Relations Institute of Cameroon, IRIC,
on the theme: "The Israeli-Hamas War: Foundations, Implications and
Prospects for Sustainable Peace in the Middle East and the World", on
9 February at IRIC's Amphitheatre 500.
After being warmly welcomed by the
Director of IRIC, H.E. Mr. Daniel Urbain NDONGO, Ambassador Morav met with him
and a number of IRIC officials.
The welcome address by the Director
of IRIC focused on the history of the excellent relations of cooperation that
exist between the Israeli Embassy in Cameroon and the august Institute.
According to him, these relations continue to strengthen the ties of
friendship, cooperation and development between our two countries.
During his presentation, Ambassador
Morav first went over the biblical and historical-geographical foundations of
the creation of the State of Israel; then the successive wars that marked the
establishment of the State of Israel; then the various peace agreements signed
with the belligerent Arab countries (Camp David, 1978; Oslo, 1993 and 1995; and
the peace agreement with Jordan in 1994); and finally, the advent of the
terrorist group Hamas.
IRIC students learned, for example,
that Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005 to facilitate the political
and economic development of the region and encourage good neighborliness with
Israel. In 2007, Hamas won the elections and began administering the Gaza
Strip, using it as a base from which to launch terrorist attacks on Israel,
including the massacre of 7 October 2023.
The attacks of 7 October 2023 are now
considered to be the worst massacre of Jews and Israelis since the Second World
War. More than 1,200 people were killed and more than 14,000 injured.
Currently, 134 abductees are still being held in the Gaza Strip, and at least
28 abductees are no longer alive.
H.E. Raphael Morav stressed that
"in view of all this, Israel is acting to topple the power of Hamas,
destroy its military capabilities, eliminate the threat from the Gaza Strip and
return all those kidnapped". According to him, the condition for a lasting
peace is the eradication of terrorism from the Gaza Strip.
The speech was followed by a frank
and direct exchange with the students, and ended with a family photo.