His Excellency Ahmed El Kachach, Ambassador of Palestine in an exclusive interview with Arabella Star Magazine, he discussed in details how he learned alot working in different environments.
YOUR EXCELLENCY SIR, CAN YOU GIVE US A BRIEF OF YOU?
You are highly welcome to the Palestinian embassy Nigeria, am Ahmed El Kachach, I am the representative of the Palestinian embassy here in Nigeria. I am married with three children, two daughters and a son, I have lived thirty years in Africa.
YOU HAVE BEEN AN AMBASSADOR FOR YEARS NOW, CAN YOU SHARE WITH US YOUR EXPERIENCE SO FAR?
When you live not just an ambassador as an individual who is living in a place that is not your home you will learn a lot of things, because living in a place that is not your born area it always gives you a new experience. I have learnt a lot from friends and associates and there also learn from me because am coming from entirely different environment, I have learn how to live with people be it Americans, Europeans, Africans people from all perspectives of life I live with them and know how to manage them.
WHAT ARE THE AREAS OF BILATERAL RELATIONS BETWEEN NIGERIA AND PALESTINE?
The bilateral relationship between Nigeria and Palestine is a old relationship, Nigeria is one of the first countries to acknowledge Palestine as a state, Nigeria is always standing by the truth And the person who is cheated. This relationship has been very strong and steadfast and the Palestinian government and his people appreciate this relationship.
IS PALESTINE A PLACE TO BE? CAN PEOPLE ACTUALLY VISIT FOR TOURISM, BUSINESS AND HONEYMOON?
You know Palestine is a holy land and all religion are there Christian’s, Muslims, Jews if not for the invasions of the Israeli into our land Palestine would have been one of the most visited countries in the world…it has a holy land for Muslims and the holy land for Christians which is Bethlehem so all religion can visit the place, in peace and stability it will be a tourist destination that people will love to visit.
LET’S TALK ABOUT DIPLOMATIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NIGERIA AND PALESTINE, PLEASE GIVE US AN INSIGHT ON THE JOURNEY SO FAR?
As I have said earlier, the relationship between Nigeria and Palestine is strong existing and the relationship is not changing because the people who is occupying the position is changing it is something
embedding by the law, it is something Nigerians and Palestinians believe in and it guided by the law passed by the national assembly and nobody will change this relationship and for the development of the relationship they always strive to see how to expend the horizon of the relationship. Even Nigerians as a citizen and as a government they always like to accept Palestinian not just the government even the citizens and they will keep on struggling to see how they can support one another
to strengthen the relationship more and more to have a common grounds on our norms and values even though we have different locations, living in different places we can always but we can always strive to strike a balance between our own cultures along with them.
WHAT’S YOUR TAKE ON TRADE RELATIONS BETWEEN NIGERIA AND PALESTINE?
So far, there is no trade relationship between Nigeria and Palestine, but am struggling to see how I can establish that relationship.
Why the relationship on trade is not there, Palestine is surrounded by the Israeli force and when ur under invasion it will be difficult to to have trade relationship with another country. The borders of Palestine is handled by the Israeli government, when someone is holding the keys of your borders it will be difficult to go into any trade bilateral relationship but we are working towards having that sorted out in the nearest future. We have a minimum relationship between Nigeria and Palestine on trade library through Jordan and
Egypt we will see how we can make it stronger, this one is very light. It through other countries we are trying to have it directly because it very important to us.
WHAT OTHER RELATIONSHIP WITH NIGERIA ARE YOU LOOKING OUT FOR AT THE NEAREST FUTURE?
We are looking forward to see the support of Nigeria being a sovereign nation. We also have that sovereignty to support nigeria. We are trying to see how Nigeria and Palestine can work together to have a common ground on inhumane treatment of all people not just the Palestinians. After we had our sovereignty we are trying to see how people are respected and how people live in peace just the way ECOWAS is uniting the West African countries we will also work with Nigeria to achieve same unity.
LET’S TALK ABOUT THE BILATERAL AGREEMENT WHICH HAS BEEN ONE OF THE PRIMARY AGREEMENT THAT YOUR COUNTRY HAVE BEEN WORKING TO ACTUALISE WITH NIGERIA, WHAT IS THE CURRENT SITUATION?
The bilateral agreement that I am proposing when actualized will carry along people from both countries in large numbers. Bilateral relationship between nations needs a lot of study, we cannot just move into a relationship without studying it very well so that it can be built on a strong foundation.
ARE THERE NIGERIANS LIVING IN PALESTINE, LIKE A NIGERIAN COMMUNITY?
Absolutely, Nigerians are part of the Palestinian community, having their citizens, having Palestinian passports. They are always there to support the Palestinian not just with words but there to straggly with them and losing their lives on the process, not just Nigeria but other african countries are they have they citizens but as the ambassador of Palestine in Nigeria I will like to speak about Nigeria.the Nigerians living there adopted the culture of the Palestinian and they are living with them as Palestinians.
They are always protecting the holy land both the Islamic land and the Christian holy land and they have one strong woman who is a Nigerian she lead the war against the Israeli attack and the first woman taken to the prison by the Israeli government she is a Nigerian. She was arrested for supporting the Palestine the issue of region is not there because the people that was arrested and killed at the Palestinian holy land were Muslims and Christians killed
By the jaws, not Muslims against jaws or Muslims against Christian but Christians and Muslims fighting on the side of Palestine against the invasion of the Israeli, the Nigerian lady her name is Fatima from Maiduguri she was promoted to be the head of the Palestinian police.
WHAT IS PALESTINE KNOWN FOR IN TERMS OF CULTURAL HERITAGE, TOURISM AND CRAFTWORK?
The Palestinian community in Nigeria are doing their best to maintain and preserve their culture and heritage, even though they are in a different country, they always make sure that they meet so as to preserve their cultural heritage. They always make sure they bring things that represent their culture, be it food, clothes, etc to showcase their culture anytime there is opportunity to meet. Despite the fact that they are under siege, they will not allow their craft work, heritage and culture to be lost, they will always strive to protect it. If you don’t have culture, then you don’t have root, you don’t know where you are from.
THE ISRAEL PALESTINE CRISIS, WHAT MEASURES HAS BEEN TAKEN TO CREATE A LONG LASTING PEACE BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES?
Everybody is watching what is happening on the news, the Palestinians own the land, the Israeli came and took the land. The United Nations accepted that there are two countries on that land. Despite that fact that the world has accepted Israeli as a country and Palestine as another country, the Israeli still refuse to accept that Palestine is another country near them.
All the agreements organized by the United Nations and other countries, for there to be peace between Israel and Palestine and live as neighbors, Palestine agreed but the Israeli refused. There was an agreement signed in Whitehouse both by the Israeli and Palestinian government, but when it comes to implementation, the Israeli government refused to implement it.
Whenever they have a new government or Prime Minister in Israel, he will come with new agreement and abolish those that were signed before.
Up till today, they still go to the land of the Palestinians and take over their houses, destroy them and build another one for their people, everyone is seeing it on the news and on social media and no one is saying anything. They are killing them only because the Palestinians insist that the land belongs to them and they cannot leave.
They have to stand and fight for their land. All the Palestinians want is to live in peace, let the Israeli leave the land that belongs to them, and the implementation of the agreement with the United Nations. If the security council agreement between the Israeli and Palestinians is not implemented, then the Palestinians have the right to protect their land in a peaceful way.
WHAT IS THE PALESTINE PROGRESS SO FAR?
The progress is always moving, but the Israeli always destroy the progress that is being made. The most educated people in the world are the Palestinians, the best surgeons ad medical doctors of the world are Palestinians, the best school is a Palestinian school, the best female teacher is also a Palestinian.
They have all the knowledge and technological know-how, but the Israeli does not let them make use of those knowledge so they have to seek other countries where they can use their knowledge. Palestinians have expertise in agriculture, medicine, teaching but they cannot do these things in their country. Whenever they discover a new technology or knowledge, the Israeli will claim that be it is their own. Nobody is acknowledging what the Palestinians produce.
YOU HAVE VISITED A FEW POLITICIANS AND WELL MEANING NIGERIAN’S, WHAT IS YOUR GENERAL VIEW CONCERNING COUNTRY?
Nigeria is a great country, a great nation, they have the economy and physical capacity, and a strong population. I have worked with a large number of politicians, from ministers to the national assembly and governors, these people cut across religion and culture, but they unanimously agree that Nigeria is one country and they want to live in peace in the country. There are always disagreements when it comes to opinions, but at the end of the day everyone is looking a how to make the country great.
I hear a lot from them when discussing with them and they gave hope that something good will come to the country in the near future. If all the things they say are implemented, one day Nigeria will be among the great nations in the world because of the number of knowledgeable and experienced people and the nature of the system.
I will always encourage them to do what is good for the nation and for peaceful coexistence within the country. 99.99% of the Nigerians I have met are in support of Palestinians and as the ambassador of Palestine, there is every reason to support Nigeria.
THANKS FOR HAVING US YOUR EXCELLENCY…