South African president says Palestinian self-determination close to their hearts

Cyril Ramaphosa says his country is never going to turn back from supporting Palestinian cause

By Anadolu Staff

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has said Palestinians' right to self-determination is something very close to their hearts and they can never turn back their support.

Addressing an event in the Western Cape Province on the weekend, Ramaphosa said the country’s first democratically elected President Nelson Mandela taught them to support the Palestinian cause for freedom and they will continue to do so.

“We will fly the flag of the Palestinians high and that is South Africa’s stand and South African people particularly, the African National Congress party,’’ he said.

Ramaphosa also said: “We are never going to turn back from supporting the cause of the Palestinians be sure about that,’’ he said as he sought support for his ruling party ahead of the May 29 elections.

He also said his country supports the Freedom Flotilla which will carry humanitarian aid to Gaza, as it continues its preparations.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a cross-border attack on Oct. 7 last year by Hamas, which killed about 1,200 people.

Nearly 34,700 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority of whom have been killed are women and children, and 78,000 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Nearly seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

South Africa which has stood out as one of the most vocal supporters of the Palestinian cause filed a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in late 2023, accusing it of failing to uphold its commitments under the 1948 Genocide Convention.

An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians there.

Kaynak:

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