One could do very little to avoid consequences of Israel-Iran war: Bimal

By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana

Colombo, June 20 (Daily Mirror) - It is not possible to entirely avoid the economic and other consequences of a war between Israel and Iran, Minister Bimal Ratnayake told Parliament today.

“What is possible in a conflict such as this is to ensure the safety of your country’s expatriates in the affected areas,” the Minister said.

He also warned that the Iran-Israel conflict could result in congestion at the Colombo Port. “There could be a backlog of containers,” he noted.

Outlining the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, the Minister said the issue surrounding Gaza and the conflict between Iran and Israel could be interconnected. “Israel and Palestine were once separate states, but became a single entity due to the vested interests of other countries,” he added.

He further described Gaza as possibly the last remaining colony in today’s world.

At the same time, Minister Ratnayake stressed the importance of distinguishing between a government and its people. “One should not hate the people of Israel for the actions of their government. The people of Israel have the power to remove their government at any time, if they choose to do so,” he said.