APA-Pretoria (South Africa) South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is in Qatar on a two-day state visit, has commended his hosts for siding with Pretoria on its stance advocating for a two-state solution to the current Israeli-Palestine conflict.
Addressing journalists in Doha on Wednesday, Ramaphosa said the long-term solution to the ongoing conflict centred on the creation of two states, with Palestine emerging as a fully recognised state alongside the continued existence of Israel.
He said both South Africa and Qatar condemned the ongoing events in Gaza, where the enclave has been transformed “into a detention camp where genocide is taking place.”
“The events in Palestine, and the growing deaths of civilians, particularly children, grieves us all,” Ramaphosa said.
He added that, while his visit was very significant as an opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries, it was also an opportunity to share views on recent international developments.
Ramaphosa said South Africa declared its opposition to Israel’s ongoing operation, especially as it was now targeting hospitals, where children, women, and scores of the wounded “are dying and that preserving life is no longer a reality – that it is being completely ignored and set aside.”
Based on this, he said that South Africa, along with many other countries globally, found it fitting to refer the actions taken by the Israeli government entirely to the International Criminal Court for their action.
South Africa supported all efforts to secure an immediate and full ceasefire — with talks on a political solution “to address the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for statehood,” he added.
Ramaphosa applauded Qatar’s stance in the ongoing “horror story” unfolding in Palestine, saying South Africa admired the Qatari government’s mediation efforts.
The Israeli-Gaza war broke out on 7 October, just hours after Hamas and other militants invaded southern Israel and killed 1,400 people – a move which took the Israeli government of Premier Benjamin Netanyahu by surprise and condemned worldwide.
NM/jn/APA