You're reading: Palestinian ambassador to Ukraine: Conflicts in eastern Ukraine differs greatly from Gaza Strip

The conflict in Donetsk and Luhansk regions is not similar to the conflict in the Gaza Strip, according to Ambassador of Palestine to Ukraine Mohammed Alasaad.

‘There are no similarities between what has been happening here and what was happening in Gaza. In our case, there was an act of external aggression – after all we are not citizens of the State of Israel, but citizens of the State of Palestine, which was recognized by 138 states in 2012,’ Alasaad said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

According to him, Palestine adheres to the international law. ‘We do not interfere in internal affairs of another state and welcome a peaceful solution for putting an end to the current crisis. We welcome the ceasefire agreement,’ he said.

The ambassador also explained that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas hadn’t made and would not make any statement, which would interfere in the internal affairs of the Ukrainian state, or statements about the Ukrainian crisis or any other state. ‘If such a statement had been made – we would have reported it. If any opinion on behalf of Palestine is made not by the president, the Foreign Ministry or the Embassy of Palestine – it is not an official one,’ the ambassador said.

As reported, Sergei Stepashin, ex-head of the Russian Audit Chamber, said that at his meeting with Abbas, the Palestinian leader drew a parallel between what was happening in Gaza and the situation in southeastern Ukraine.