Israel’s war on Gaza exposed limitations of international institutions, says South African president

By Anadolu Reporter

Israel's war on the Gaza people, as well as the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, have exposed the limitations and fragility of international institutions that are still unrepresentative and unreformed, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday.

Speaking to the media following the reception of Angolan President Joao Lourenco at the Union Buildings in the South African capital of Pretoria, Ramaphosa said his nation remains steadfast in its call for reform of the UN Security Council (UNSC) and other global governance institutions.

Earlier on Thursday, Lourenco arrived at Waterkloof airbase in Pretoria on a state visit to South Africa, where he and Ramaphosa will address a plenary session of a Business Forum with the theme South Africa and Angola: Working Together to Forge a New Era of Cooperation and Partnerships to Increase Mutually Beneficial Trade and Investment.

Ramaphosa said, “The Global South must have permanent representation and a voice on the UNSC so that it reflects global demographics and realities.”

The US has used its veto power in the UN Security Council to block draft resolutions calling for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, which has been subjected to genocidal attacks by Israeli forces since October of last year, killing nearly 44,800 Palestinians and destroying almost the entire besieged enclave.

Ramaphosa reiterated South Africa's call for the United Nations Charter to be respected and international law principles to be upheld.

He said his country remains committed to putting multilateralism at the center of global affairs, whether dealing with conflict or responding to climate change.

South Africa, which assumed the G20 presidency earlier this month, becoming the first African country to lead the group of powerful nations, is a vocal supporter of Palestinian rights.

South Africa filed a genocide case against Israel at The Hague-based International Court of Justice in late 2023. It accuses Israel, which has bombed Gaza since last October, of failing to uphold its commitments under the 1948 Genocide Convention.

Several countries, including Türkiye, Nicaragua, Palestine, Spain, Mexico, Libya, and Colombia, have joined the case, which began public hearings in January.

The top court in May ordered Israel to halt its offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. It was the third time the 15-judge panel issued preliminary orders seeking to rein in the death toll and alleviate humanitarian suffering in the blockaded enclave, where the casualty count is over 44,800 people, mostly women and children.