By Riyaz ul Khaliq
ISTANBUL (AA) – South Africa and Palestine “will always be together,” President Cyril Ramaphosa told his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas when they met Wednesday for a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan city of Russia.
South Africa is a founding member of the emerging economic bloc while Palestine is an invitee attending the 16th summit of heads of the BRICS states.
The two leaders discussed opportunities to “strengthen political and economic relations in line with South Africa's national interests and foreign policy priorities,” said a statement from Ramaphosa’s office.
“We are well when you are well, and you are all the time with us,” Abbas told Ramaphosa.
“Yes, of course… of course, without any doubt,” replied Ramaphosa, reiterating South Africa’s support to Palestine.
“We will always be together,” he added, according to a video record of the meeting.
South Africa filed a case with the ICJ tribunal based in The Hague in late 2023, accusing 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.
In May, the ICJ 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 death toll has crossed the 42,700 mark.
Earlier, addressing the BRICS summit, Ramaphosa said the countries of the world “have a responsibility not to fund or facilitate” Israel’s genocidal actions against Palestinians.
“As the world bears witness to the continued plight of the Palestinian people, South Africa is compelled to emulate the spirit of solidarity,” he said.