National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula wants fellow parliamentarians to support peace in the Middle East. Picture: Said Khatib/AFP
National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has reiterated her call for parliamentarians across the world to fight for peace and justice in the conflict in Palestine.
She said the conflict between Israel and Palestine must come to an end.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas has been raging for almost three weeks.
Thousands of people have been left dead followings attacks in Israel and Gaza.
The bombing of a hospital in Gaza has angered the international community.
Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor also addressed the United Nations Security Council in New York this week where she she called for peace.
President Cyril Ramaphosa returned to South Africa a few days ago after he attended the Gaza peace summit in Egypt over the weekend. It was convened by the president of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
Mapisa-Nqakula, who was addressing the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Angola, said there was a need for a lasting solution to the war in Palestine.
“The Speaker said that it is only through dialogue, negotiation, and respect for human rights that true peace and stability can be achieved.
“Speaker Mapisa-Nqakula urged the legislators to take concrete action and implement the United Nations resolution for a just, comprehensive, and peaceful two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. She said South Africa stands ready to contribute its expertise in mediation and conflict resolution, drawing from its experience, not just on the African continent, but around the world.
“She said that the words of the founding father of democracy in South Africa, former President Nelson Mandela remain true and relevant when he said, ‘We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians’,” said Parliament.
The conflict in Gaza has also led to aid groups calling for the delivery of more aid.
This comes after trucks were allowed into the Gaza Strip this week, after they started crossing the Rafah border in Egypt to deliver supplies.
Israel had cut off electricity, food, fuel and water supplies into Gaza after the enclave was put under siege.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
Politics