African leaders at UN stress need for Israel to quit occupation of Palestine
is slow and often difficult work, and it requires patience: it can take several decades or longer for forests to regrow as viable habitats, and to absorb the same amount of carbon lost when trees are cut and burned. “Planting a tree is only one step in the process,” said Christopher Barton, a professor of forest hydrology at the Appalachian Centre of the University of Kentucky.
Yet, there is urgency to that work – forests are one of the planet’s first lines of defence against climate change, absorbing as much as a quarter of human-made carbon emissions each year. Through photosynthesis, trees and other plants use carbon dioxide, water and sunlight to produce chemical energy to fuel their growth; oxygen is released as a by-product. As forests have shrunk, however, so has an already overloaded Earth’s capacity to cope with carbon emissions.
Reforestation programmes take into account native plant species. They are managed by groups with a sustained commitment to monitoring forests, not just one-off tree-planting events and usually, they economically benefit the people who live nearby.
The impact could be great: a study in the journal Science projected that if 0.9 billion hectares of new trees were planted – around 500 billion saplings – they could absorb 205 gigatons of carbon once they reached maturity. Other scientists dispute those calculations, while some fear the theoretical promise of tree-planting as an easy solution to climate changes could distract people from the range and scope of the responses needed. PALESTINE remains a priority for Africa, as more than a dozen leaders from across the continent stressed the need for Israel to end its occupation of Palestine and reiterated the inalienable, legitimate right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and freedom during their addresses at the 74th session of the UN General Assembly last week, the Afro-Palestine Newswire Service has reported.
Senegal, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Lesotho, Mozambique, Mauritius, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Angola, Chad, Djibouti, Gambia, Sao Tome and Principe all mentioned the need for the creation of a Palestinian state to ensure a just, long-lasting peace for Palestinians and Israelis.
Leaders also stressed the need for Israel to halt the construction of illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and for the international community to step up efforts to hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law.
Senegalese President Macky Sall underlined the “right of the Palestinian people to a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital”.
“The international community has spoken of Resolution 242 (which calls on Israel to withdraw from the occupied West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem) since 1967,” noted Nigerian leader Muhammadu Buhari.
Representing Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa’s Minister of International Relations, Naledi Pandor said: “We feel ashamed that for over 70 years the people of Palestine have lived under occupation…”
“What is mentioned in the speeches of the African leaders reflects the consistent position of African countries in upholding the right of the Palestinian people to freedom and independence.
“Palestine trusts Africa and its leaders and the support of its people. We consider Africa as a fundamental supporter of peace, especially in the Middle East,” said Hashem Dajani, Palestinian ambassador to South Africa.
“Africa’s solidarity is a major pillar in the Palestinian struggle,” said Mousa Abu Marzouq, a member of the politburo of the Hamas movement.
Despite Israel’s intensive diplomatic and economic courting of African states in the last few years, African leaders have remained consistently supportive of Palestinian rights at international forums such as the UN and AU, and have denounced Israel’s construction of illegal settlements, its siege of the Gaza Strip and the unilateral annexation of Jerusalem. |