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Prime diplomat Nalendi Pandor says she sees ‘very clear similarities’ between Israel’s occupation and system of apartheid.
The world has seen sufficient of the tragedy in Gaza and it’s time for international locations to make use of their affect over Israel to place a cease to “this actual crime in opposition to humanity”, South African International Minister Naledi Pandor has mentioned.
South Africa was one of many few international locations that lower ties with Israel in response to its assault on the Gaza Strip.
Pandor advised Al Jazeera on Wednesday that her authorities might refer Israel to the Worldwide Felony Court docket (ICC) because it continues its assault on Gaza.
“We’re appalled at how this horror and tragedy that’s unfolding continues to worsen and worse. I believe the world has seen sufficient, and it’s time for essentially the most highly effective on this planet to place a cease to this horror that Israel is unfolding in opposition to the folks of Palestine,” she mentioned.
“It is just international locations which have affect over Israel who can cease this actual crime in opposition to humanity that we’re seeing proper earlier than our eyes.”
The Palestinian folks expertise circumstances just like these in apartheid South Africa, she added.
South Africa has been outspoken concerning the plight of Palestinians and recalled its diplomats from Israel this month, because the loss of life toll from Israel’s bombardment of Gaza continues to climb.
Palestinian authorities have mentioned that greater than 11,200 folks in Gaza, greater than a 3rd of them youngsters, have been killed since Israel started its assault on the Gaza Strip in retaliation for an assault by Hamas that Israeli authorities say killed about 1,200 folks, largely civilians.
Whereas that assault by Hamas was broadly condemned, Israel’s response has garnered criticism as a marketing campaign of relentless air strikes has worn out total neighbourhoods and as an Israeli siege chokes off entry to requirements resembling meals, gas and electrical energy for Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.
The United Nations has mentioned that about 70 p.c of individuals in Gaza have been displaced, with few choices for secure haven as Israeli strikes pound each nook of the Strip, together with areas that Israel advised Palestinians they need to relocate to with the intention to keep away from the combating.
“We’d have anticipated that the ICC would react a lot earlier as a result of 1000’s of individuals have been mowed down,” Pandor mentioned. “And these are harmless Palestinian individuals who have suffered a long time of harassment and occupation.”
That occupation, she mentioned, additionally has “very, very clear similarities,” to a number of the practices that outlined apartheid South Africa.
“We all know folks can not personal property, [and] that property could be seized with none compensation, which is what we skilled in our personal nation. Individuals have to hold identification paperwork that mirror your ethnicity quite than citizenship. All of that is a part of the apartheid characteristic,” Pandor advised Al Jazeera.
“So, there could be no denial that the corollary between the conduct of the Israeli state in opposition to the folks of Palestine is so carefully aligned to the apartheid conduct.”
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