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…Commemorates 78th independence anniversary in Abuja
From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, has said that Israel is a peace-loving nation with the full intent to live harmoniously with its neighbours.
The envoy stated this during the country’s 78th birthday in Abuja.
Freeman explained that Israel never wanted the conflicts of the past seventy-eight years, nor the war of the last three years, and not even any of the wars Israel had been forced to fight.
He further said the Abraham Accords have already shown what is possible when nations choose cooperation over conflict.
Freeman said: “They stand as a model for our region and for the world—a reminder that peace is not merely an aspiration; it is a catalyst for prosperity, innovation, investment, and opportunity.
“Yet there are still those who reject that vision.
“Only this week, Israel and Lebanon, with American mediation, agreed to a framework designed to advance peace and stability.
“Hezbollah immediately rejected it.”
Freeman also said instead of diplomacy, instead of disarming, the Iranian proxy fired rockets into Israel and continued to hold the Lebanese people hostage.
He added that Israel responded as it made clear it would.
“Over the last 24 hours, Iran launched ballistic missiles into Israeli civilian population centers.
“Whilst we are here in this hall, millions of Israeli men, women and children – including our friends and families, are currently sheltering in bomb shelters.
“Every time a path to peace emerges, Iran and its proxies choose violence, murder and terror over coexistence,” Freeman further said.
While stating that the people of Israel deserved peace, the envoy also said the people of Lebanon deserved peace as well.
“The people of the entire Middle East deserve peace.
“It is time to stop allowing Iran and other extremists and outside actors to hold the future of our region hostage.
“Let the people of the Middle East choose cooperation over conflict,” he also said.
He recalled the vision of Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion 78 years ago of prosperity over violence and hope over hatred.
According to Freeman, “It remains Israel’s vision today.
“And perhaps that is the greatest lesson of Israel’s story.
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“All we have ever wanted was to return to Zion, our ancient homeland, and build a flourishing Jewish and democratic state.
“To build life, to build a future, and to build hope.
“And despite every challenge, that is exactly what we have done.”
The Israeli envoy added that when Israel was founded, it was a nation of just 650,000 people, without oil, no vast natural resources, as much of Israel’s land was desert.
“We faced security threats from the moment we declared independence.
“Yet we refused to accept that geography was destiny.
“We learned how to grow food in the desert. We pioneered drip irrigation and precision agriculture.
“We turned seawater into drinking water.
“We became a global leader in medicine, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and innovation.
“Israel did not become a technological powerhouse because our challenges were small.
“Israel became a technological powerhouse because our challenges were enormous.
“We learned that every problem contains within it the seed of an opportunity.
“And that lesson has shaped our nation ever since.
“But Israel’s story is not only about what we have achieved.
“It is about what we can achieve together,” Freeman also said.
In her remarks, the Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, said Israel is a country known around the world for its innovation, its technology, its resilience.
The minister also said Israel and Nigeria share so much as they are both nations of deep faith, of rich traditions, of diverse cultures.
“We are both nations that understand the power of storytelling, of music, of dance, of art, to bring people together.
“And we are both nations that believe in the power of our people. Our greatest resource is not what lies beneath the ground, but what lies within our people — their creativity, their ingenuity, their determination,” Musawa said.
