South Africa President, Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his concern over the Israeli-Hamas conflict and says South Africa stands ready to share its lessons on conflict resolution.
“South Africa stands ready to work with the international community and to share our experience in mediation and conflict resolution as we have done on the continent and around the world,” Ramaphosa said.
He extended his condolences to the victims of the conflict and called for an end to the violence and for the immediate and unconditional opening of humanitarian corridors.
“Our thoughts are with all the victims families and loved ones during this perilous period of fighting. We remain gravely concerned at the devastating escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the atrocities committed against civilian populations.
“We call for the immediate cessation of violence and the exercise of restraint. It is vital that all those who require urgent humanitarian assistance are provided with the basic life-supporting necessities and that human suffering is ameliorated,” Ramaphosa said.
He urged the international community to accelerate its support for an inclusive process towards a lasting and durable peace that produces a viable Palestinian state, existing in peace alongside Israel, within the 1967 internationally recognised borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Last Saturday, a Palestinian militant group stormed into Israeli towns, leaving dozens dead and abducting others during a major Jewish holiday.
Israel responded with air strikes in Gaza.
Earlier this week, the ANC called for peace in the Gaza Strip, describing Palestine’s reality as a replica of apartheid South Africa.
Party spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said according to Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, Israel is a blatant apartheid state that methodically imposes privilege on Jewish Israelis’ behalf and discriminates against Palestinians.
“According to a report by Human Rights Watch, ‘the laws, policies, and statements by leading Israeli officials make plain the objective of maintaining Jewish Israeli control over demographics, political power and land has long guided government policy’.”
In pursuit of this goal, Israeli authorities have dispossessed, confined, forcibly separated and subjugated Palestinians by their identity to varying degrees of intensity, she said.
“It can no longer be disputed apartheid South Africa’s history is occupied Palestine’s reality. As a result, the decision by Palestinians to respond to the brutality of the settler Israeli apartheid regime is unsurprising.”
