UNITED NATIONS, New York
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa invoked his country's history of apartheid in calling for a two-state solution during his speech before the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday afternoon, where Israel's war with Hamas remained a focal point.
"The violence the
Palestinian people are being subjected to is a grim continuation of more than
half a century of apartheid that has been perpetrated against Palestinians by
Israel," Ramaphosa said.
"We South Africans know
what apartheid looks like. We lived through apartheid. We suffered and died
under apartheid. We will not remain silent and watch as apartheid is
perpetrated against others," he added.
It has been 11 months since
the Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people, and where hostages were taken. An
attack, Ramaphosa said, South Africa condemned.
In response, Ramaphosa said,
Israel embarked on an act of collective punishment in its assault on the
people of Gaza and
the torment of the people continues unabated.
"We must end the
suffering that Palestinians are being subjected to. We are called upon to
uphold the principles of the UN Charter and to uphold consistently and in their
entirety the fundamental tenets of international law. International law cannot
be applied selectively," Ramaphosa said. "No one state is more equal
than any other."
Ramaphosa recalled how, last
December, South Africa filed a claim against Israel at the International Court
of Justice, demanding a complete ceasefire and accusing Israel of committing
genocide in Gaza.
"We did so in terms of
our obligations as a state party to the Convention on the Prevention and
Punishment," he said.
Ramaphosa said South Africa
welcomed support in their ICJ case from a number of countries, and the ICJ
orders made it clear that there is a "plausible case of genocide against
the people of Gaza."
ICJ also made it clear that
states must also act to prevent genocide by Israel and to ensure that they are
not themselves party to the violation of the Genocide Convention by aiding or
assisting in the commission of genocide, Ramaphosa added.
"We reiterate our call
for an immediate ceasefire and for the release of all hostages," he said.
"The only lasting solution is the establishment of a Palestinian state, a
state that will exist side by side with Israel, with East Jerusalem as its
capital."
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