Gaza: Stay neutral if you wish, but Ghana won’t — H. Kwasi Prempeh to Minority

The Executive Director of the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh, has criticized the Minority Caucus in Parliament for advocating neutrality in the ongoing Gaza conflict.

The Minority lawmakers have expressed concerns over the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ recent statement, which described the violence in Gaza as “genocide” and expressed solidarity with Palestine.

According to the Minority, this stance undermines Ghana’s long-standing non-aligned foreign policy. Samuel Abu Jinapor, Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, stated, “By describing the events in Gaza in absolute terms and aligning the country explicitly with one side, the government risks compromising the delicate balance that has long safeguarded Ghana’s credibility as an impartial actor on the international stage.”

However, Professor Prempeh disagreed, citing Ghana’s historical recognition of Palestine and support for a two-state solution. “What is he talking about? Who does he speak for? When did Ghana become ‘non-aligned on the Gaza conflict’? Does he know how far back Ghana recognised the State of Palestine and endorsed the two-state solution? Does he not know where the Embassy of the State of Palestine is in Accra?” he wrote on social media.

“He and the right-wing faction of his party may wish to be ‘non-aligned on the Gaza conflict,’ whatever that means, but that, thankfully, is not the foreign policy position of Ghana,” Professor Prempeh added.

Ghana has a history of supporting Palestine, with the country recognizing the State of Palestine and endorsing the two-state solution. This stance is consistent with the African Union’s position on the conflict.

The Minority Caucus in Parliament has cautioned the government to exercise consistency and balance in its foreign policy pronouncements on the conflict in Gaza.

The caucus expressed concern about recent remarks by the Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who described the situation in Gaza as “genocide” and announced Ghana’s solidarity with Palestinians, including through material support.

While acknowledging Ghana’s obligation to uphold humanitarian principles, the Minority, at a press conference addressed by Ranking member on the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, Samuel Abu Jinapor, stressed that the country’s diplomacy has historically been rooted in non-alignment, neutrality, and peaceful coexistence.