South Africa has expressed concern over the escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, urging the international community on Monday to pursue measures that will ensure sustainable and “just peace for all people”.
The recent escalation of the hostilities began two weeks ago when Israel attacked the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus on April 1. The air strike killed a senior Iranian general and others.
In response, Iran launched strikes inside Israel on April 13.
In a statement on Monday, South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation said Pretoria was “gravely concerned” at developments in the Middle East.
“The international community and the United Nations Security Council, in particular, must act in the pursuit of sustainable and just peace for all people,” the department said.
It agreed with UN secretary general Antonio Guterres’ concern that there was a “very real danger of a devastating region-wide escalation”.
“In this context, South Africa emphasises that all parties must exercise the utmost restraint and avoid any act that would escalate tensions in a particularly fragile region,” the department said.
It added: “South Africa has continuously stressed that irrespective of whether states believe that their use of force is lawful, it is never wise to resort to war as inevitably, it is ordinary people who bear the brunt of conflict.”
The department noted that “as long as there is impunity for unlawful acts, war and injustice will continue,” in apparent reference to Israel’s continued attacks against the Palestinian enclave of Gaza Strip despite an International Court of Justice order for an end to hostilities to allow movement of humanitarian aid.
“The proliferation of global conflicts will continue if we, as the international community, do not commit ourselves to the ending of war and the establishment of conditions under which justice and respect for international law are maintained.”
JN/APA