Ghana chides parliament speaker over Jerusalem stance

By Umaru Sanda Amadu

ACCRA, Ghana

Ghana’s government on Friday distanced itself from remarks by Speaker of Parliament Aaron Mike Oquaye on the controversial issue of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Oquaye upset the government when he told Israel’s i24News channel that “whatever Israel wants, we in Ghana will go by that”.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry promptly issued a statement saying Oquaye’s comments were his “personal view to which (he) is entitled”.

“Ghana has always supported the position that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict should be resolved peacefully between the parties themselves and all stakeholders involved,” the ministry said.

It said “the determination of the final status [of Jerusalem] should not be prejudiced by any party”.

The incident comes in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision Wednesday to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and his announcement of plans to relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to the contested city.

Ghana has been very instrumental in the formation of the African Union and is among the many nations demanding a fair and comprehensive resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

In what seemed like a condemnation of one of its own, the government appealed to “all well-minded people to take cognizance of the sensitivity of the issue”.

The speaker of parliament is a position appointed by the president and is the third most important and powerful person in the country.