South Africa’s newly appointed International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola has pledged to intensify efforts to support the Palestinian people in their fight against “acts of apartheid and genocide” by Israel.
Speaking at a symposium on South Africa’s national interests and global advancements on Thursday evening, Lamola emphasised the country’s unwavering commitment to preserving the existence of the Palestinian people and combating acts of apartheid and genocide against them.
Lamola, who has been a vocal advocate for Palestine, reiterated South Africa’s dedication to acting within global institutions to protect Palestinian rights.
“We will continue to do everything within our power to preserve the existence of the Palestinian people as a group and to walk with them towards the realisation of their collective right to self-determination,” he said.
The minister highlighted South Africa’s role in championing the case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and in leading the referral of the situation in Palestine to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“This informed our application to the ICJ. We will continue preparing and managing the ICJ case against Israel and providing observations on the situation in Palestine before the ICC,” Lamola added.
South Africa has been seized with ongoing efforts to end the conflict between Israel and Hamas militants who operate from Palestine’s Gaza Strip enclave.
The ICJ ordered provisional measures on January 26 this year in South Africa’s case alleging that Israel is violating the Genocide Convention by continuing to bombard the Gaza Strip.
The court adopted “provisional measures” or binding orders that include requiring Israel to prevent genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, to enable the provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance, and to prevent and punish incitement to commit genocide.
To ensure that Tel Aviv adheres to the ICJ measures, Pretoria has been lobbying members of the Inter-Parliamentary Union to establish a taskforce to explore possible parliamentary solutions to the Israel-Palestine conflict that has claimed thousands of lives – including over 13,000 children – since October 2023.
JN/APA