Johnathan Paoli
International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor has expressed her resolve in assisting the people of Palestine, and confirmed that there is an urgent application to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Israel, in light of Israel’s invasion of Rafah.
Minister Pandor was delivering the opening address at the Global Anti-Apartheid Conference in Palestine on Friday and said Israel’s relentless offensive has claimed the lives of at least 34 568 people, most of whom are women and children.
“We need to stress that there can be no solution to the situation for as long as the international community continues to ignore Israel’s systematic human rights transgression and settler colonial apartheid project and, through it, sustains the illegal Israeli settler project at the cost of Palestinian liberation,” Pandor said.
The urgent application follows the escalation of Israel’s assault on Rafah, which poses extreme risk to humanitarian supplies, basic services into Gaza, the survival of the Palestinian medical system, and the very survival of Palestinians in Gaza as a group.
The Minister contends that the attack on Rafah further worsens the prevailing situation and causes irreparable harm to the rights of Palestinians in Gaza and that the situation has changed significantly since the Court’s Order of 28 March
Rafah is home to 1.5 million Palestinians, and is the last refuge in Gaza for those displaced by Israeli’s action, and the last viable centre for public administration and the provision of basic public services, including medical care.
Since the start of the military action in Rafah, Israel has seized control of both the Rafah and the Kerem Shalom (Karem Abu Salem) crossings, effectively controlling all movement in and out of Gaza and cutting off all critical humanitarian and medical supplies, goods and fuel.
In addition, Israel has prevented medical evacuations and has treated evacuation zones as extermination zones as evidenced with the destruction of hospitals in Gaza and discovery of mass graves in other major health care facilities in the Strip.
Pandor insisted that South Africa would continue to do everything within its power to defend the rights of the Palestinian people.
“All of us, as humanity, should be ashamed today that more than 35 000 people have died, and here we are sitting while more are killed. Maybe if we could find a way, we should all go to Palestine and be the wall of protection of civilian people,” she said.
South Africa previously approached the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue warrants of arrest against Israeli officials involved in the atrocities within the region. But the ICC didn’t oblige.
Pandor noted, however, that in light of the ICC’s summary issuing of a warrant of arrest against Russian President Vladimir Putin, it was alarming that it remained silent on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“The situation in Palestine should be prioritized by the ICC in order to deliver justice to the victims of these grave crimes. We support all calls against the Israeli settler colonial apartheid regime – including calls that third states must take steps towards completely decolonising Palestine,” she said.
Pandor stressed that the South African government will continue to support Palestinian efforts for membership of the United Nations and the creation of positive, credible, and lasting international mechanisms to address the Palestinian cause based on international law.
South Africa has called for Israel to immediately withdraw and cease its military offensive in Rafah, immediately take all effective measures to ensure and facilitate the unimpeded access to Gaza of United Nations and other officials engaged in the provision of humanitarian aid, as well as submitting an open report to the Court on measures taken.
Spokesperson for the Presidency Vincent Magwenya said that President Cyril Ramaphosa agreed with the latest call and said that the world should do more to stop the killing of innocent women and children.
“The gross human rights violations perpetrated by the state of Israel has scaled to incomprehensible levels of cruelty, hate and extreme violent oppression,” he said.
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