Nigerian foreign minister apologises for not voting to end Israeli occupation

Nigerian Foreign Minister Amin Wali apologised on Wednesday for not voting to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory in the UN last year, Palestinian newspaper Al-Quds has reported.

Wali apologised to the Palestinian Authority (PA) ambassador to Nigeria, Muntaser Abu-Zeid, during a farewell ceremony organised by the Nigerian foreign ministry honouring Wali, who is leaving office after the loss of his party in the parliamentary elections.

According to a statement by the PA, the winning party headed by General Mohamed Bukhari, who is a friend of the Palestinians, will form the new government.

The statement said that Wali has officially apologised to the Palestinian ambassador, citing huge pressure put on his country pushing it to vote against the Palestinian motion. He said that the pressure amounted to a “national security threat”.

According to the PA ambassador, Nigeria has been a longtime supporter of the Palestinians and the country has supported all UNESCO resolutions regarding Palestine.