by Melani Manel Perera and Sumon Corraya

The Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan governments expressed sympathy for the civilians on both sides. While the Sri Lankan president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, explained that the executive is working to repatriate compatriots stranded in the Jewish state, in the Bangladeshi capital, Islamist parties organised protests against the Israeli response to the Hamas attack.

Dhaka/Colombo (AsiaNews) - Hundreds of protesters fill the squares in many Asian cities against the war between Gaza and Israel, after the attack by the Islamic organization Hamas which reignited the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The president of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe, denounced Hamas' aggression, stating that he was ready to evacuate his compatriots present in the territory and that he wanted to guarantee the return home of Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka in complete safety.

Of approximately 8 thousand Sri Lankans present in Israel, it is currently known that one Sri Lankan has been injured and two have disappeared, while the Sri Lankan embassy in Tel Aviv is working with the utmost dedication to ensure the safety of the workers and tourists present.

Wickremesinghe then underlined that, despite criticism made in the past against the actions of the Jewish State, such attacks cannot be justified, sharing the concern for Israeli and Palestinian civilians.

The Sri Lankan president then called for an immediate cessation of hostilities in line with the African Union proposal, underlining the consequences the crisis will have on global fuel prices. A prolonged conflict could in fact have negative repercussions on the economies of developing countries, including Sri Lanka.

Several members of Sri Lankan civil society said the two sides should reach a compromise. “There will be a future if Palestinians and Jews work for peace. Jews must leave Zionism and Palestinians must leave Islamic extremism behind. But it will be the hardest thing for both sides to do because it is the basis of their identity ", a local activist, Ramal Janith Fernando, told AsiaNews.

A Buddhist businessman, Palitha Ranabahu, added that "after this brutal attack, any religion takes a backseat to humanity, no violence should come between God and men."

In Bangladesh, a Muslim majority state, demonstrations were held against the Israeli response towards the Gaza Strip, in which various Islamist groups and parties participated. Students from the University of Dhaka also expressed their solidarity with Palestinian civilians.

In the capital, Dhaka, the Islami Andolan Bangladesh party organized the march which started from the Baitul Mukarram Mosque.

The leader of the organization, Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim, said: "The United Nations speaks about humanity and various issues using beautiful language. But we cannot accept that the UN remains silent about the torture and killing of Muslims in Palestine."

Quoting the Prophet Muhammad, he added that if a Muslim is attacked anywhere in the world, standing by his side, protesting, and being saddened by his pain is a part of faith: “The Israeli invasion of Palestine continues to this day. It would be a lack of faith not to protest against the oppression of Palestine."

Leaders of Gono Odhikar Parishad, another political party, also marched in support of the Gaza Strip. “Israel has occupied and oppressed Palestine for the past 75 years. None of the Palestinian women and children are spared by this Jewish occupying force. The silence of the Bangladesh government shows that this government is against Palestine,” accused the secretary, Farooq Hasan.

The government of Bangladesh has actually condemned the ongoing armed conflict. According to the statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the country "is deeply saddened by the loss of life of innocent civilians and the injuries of victims." Dhaka also believes that neither side will benefit from the clashes and violence.

• Bangladesh
• Sri Lanka
• Colombo
• Dhaka
• solidarity
• civilians
• Gaza
• Israel
• war