South Africa Takes the Palestinian Side Amid the Conflict in Israel
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa calls for immediate cessation of violence. Photo: Anadolu Agency.
South Africa criticized Israel's actions in the Palestinian territories, and many civil society organizations in South Africa have shown support for the Palestinian cause, based on the comparisons made between the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and South Africa's own experience with apartheid.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned what he perceives as human rights abuses and violations of international law by Israel in its treatment of Palestinians. His government has supported the Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which calls for economic and cultural withdrawal from Israel until it complies with international law regarding the Palestinian territories. Ramaphosa said that the forced removal of Palestinians to make way for Israeli settlers and the destruction of homes in Gaza brings back very terrible memories of South Africa’s history of apartheid, and leaves him no choice but to side with the Palestinians.
Earlier this month, Israeli forces responded to a military offensive by Hamas, an Islamist militant organization in Gaza, by launching a military operation in the Gaza Strip, escalating tensions in the Middle East. The conflict started when Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel on October 7, a multifaceted surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea, and air. Hamas claimed to be acting in retaliation for the Israeli settlers' increasing violence against Palestinians and the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem.
The Israeli military launched the Operation Swords of Iron on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip in response to Hamas' activities. The government cut off Gaza's access to water and electricity, further deteriorating the living circumstances in a region that has been under a crushing embargo since 2007, and has been using airstrikes to bomb the Gaza Strip.
Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa, stated on Thursday that his nation is prepared to assist in mediating the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Ramaphosa issued a statement in which he expressed that “South Africa stands ready to work with the international community and to share [their] experience in mediation and conflict resolution as [they] have done on the continent and around the world.” Ramaphosa spoke to the press draped in the traditional Palestinian scarf, displaying his alliance with the Palestinian people.
Ramaphosa delivers a speech on the Israel-Palestine conflict. Photo: Indian Express.
Ramaphosa also expressed sympathy to all those who have lost their lives in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and demanded that humanitarian efforts be opened immediately and without conditions. “During this dangerous time of conflict, our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of every casualty. The tragic escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the atrocities committed against civilian populations continue to worry us much,” he said. Ramaphosa also called for humanitarian assistance in South Africa, and pleaded for an immediate end to the war in the Middle East.
In a statement released on Sunday, the South African authorities laid the responsibility for the violence on what they see as Israel's occupation of Palestinian land and destruction of Muslim holy sites and holy Christian sites. Zane Dangor, a top South African official, stated that Hamas’ attack, while not a solution, was foreseeable and that the war will not stop until the occupation ends.