Minister of International relations and Co-operation Naledi Pandor said they will not be silent on Gaza. Picture: Jacques Naude / Independent Newspapers
Minister of International Relations and Co-operation Naledi Pandor says they will not remain silent when Israel was committing atrocities in Gaza.
This was after South Africa lodged an urgent request to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to intervene in Rafah after Israel said it was expanding its military operations in Rafah.
The request, which was filed at the ICJ on Monday, comes after the court granted an order at the end of January for Tel Aviv to take provisional measures to stop the killings in Gaza.
However, Israel announced a few days ago that it was expanding its military operations in Rafah, where 1.5 million people were sheltering.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Tuesday, South Africa has made a request at the ICJ on whether the offensive by Israel requires another order to stop the offensive.
South Africa wants the UN court to intervene as Israel launches another operation in Rafah.
Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said they want the ICJ to intervene and stop the attacks on Rafah.
“The South African Government has made an urgent request to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to consider whether the decision announced by Israel to extend its military operations in Rafah, which is the last refuge for surviving people in Gaza, requires that the court uses its power to prevent further imminent breach of the rights of Palestinians in Gaza,” said Magwenya.
“Under Article 75(1) of the Rules of Court, ‘The Court may at any time decide to examine proprio motu whether the circumstances of the case require the indication of provisional measures which ought to be taken or complied with by any or all of the parties’.”
Magwenya said they were concerned about the situation in Rafah and what Israel was doing there.
He said this will lead to more people being killed. Already, there were more than 28,000 people killed in Gaza since the attacks started in October. Thousands of other people have been left injured.
South Africa said the attack in Rafah will be in violation of the court order that was issued on January 26.
Pandor told Parliament on Tuesday they will not be silent when Palestinians were under attack.
The minister was taking part in the debate on the State of the Nation Address.
She said she was disappointed the official opposition was silent on atrocities committed by Israel in Gaza.
Pandor said people all over the world have hailed South Africa for taking Israel to the ICJ to stop its attacks on civilians in the Palestinian territory.
South Africa will not abandon its cause to fight for the rights of the Palestinians, she said.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
Politics