The horrors that have been visited on the people of Gaza and increasingly the West Bank by the Israeli forces and by illegal settlers have been playing out in international media outlets.
More than 20,000 people in Gaza, mostly non-combatants, have been killed. This includes more than 8,000 children and 6,200 women. The war crimes and crimes against humanity are obvious. They are not disputable.
More ominous, a textbook case of genocide is unfolding before us all. The response by the “West”? “Israel has a right to defend itself”.
It’s a settled fact of international law that an occupying power cannot use military force to attack a civilian population that it generally has complete control over. Gaza, like the West Bank, remains occupied as Israel has had effective control over the territory. By actively supporting Israel’s military response in Gaza and increasingly in the West Bank, many European countries and the US may themselves be liable to aiding and abetting these breaches of international criminal law.
Recently I was asked why South Africa is so clear in its support for the people of Palestine and not for the people of Ukraine. While we could have been clearer in many aspects of our response to the war in Ukraine, and this could be the subject of another article, there are a few areas that we were very clear on.
While we may have stated that we understood Russia’s security concerns with regards to Nato’s expansion, we were very clear that the use of force by Russia on Ukraine was unlawful. We were also very clear that the acquisition of territory through force was unlawful.
We called for an immediate ceasefire so that negotiations for a just and lasting peace could begin. We stated very clearly that the use of force is never wise, but if there is war, that the laws of war need to be respected, especially the principle of distinction which prohibits the targeting of civilians, non-combatants and civilian infrastructure.
This approach was premised on the importance of a just international legal order to stem impunity and to fulfil the promise of a more peaceful world. In New Delhi, India, in September 2023, the leaders of the G20 agreed by consensus on a declaration. That declaration included the principles alluded to earlier. It included respect for the UN Charter and specifically also that the acquisition of land through the use of force is prohibited and should be condemned.
The attacks on civilians by Hamas cannot be a blank cheque for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide by Israel.
A few months later, it appears that for many in the G20, the just legal order does not apply to Palestinians. The support for the clear violations of international legal norms by the government of Israel was in stark contrast to their invoking it – and correctly so – with regards to the war in Ukraine.
Many in the developing world were not shocked by this, as Israel has been exempted from accountability for their transgressions of international law for decades.
Nevertheless, we were most definitely disappointed as we had hoped that given that these principles were debated and discussed over a number of months, that they would, this time around, be respected and that Israel would be held accountable for transgressions of these principles.
The attacks on civilians by Hamas on 7 October 2023 may constitute war crimes and need to be condemned and investigated. These attacks cannot, however, be a blank cheque for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide by Israel.
Read more in Daily Maverick: Israel-Palestine War
The question many South Africans ask is that, given the role that the West played in contributing to the fall of apartheid in South Africa, why is there such differential treatment of apartheid and related crimes against Palestinians?
While former colonial powers did support the South African apartheid state, many did eventually follow the lead of former colonised countries to use the “fundamental values” pillars of global governance to isolate and pressure the apartheid government.
Former colonised countries from the Global South brought the values and characteristics of their anticolonial struggles into the United Nations’ system and this system was generally responsive. The combination of international law that sought to isolate apartheid South Africa, with an expectation by the UN that the various resolutions would be respected, together with broad anti-apartheid coalitions of states from all regions of the world and civil society movements, served as a veritable global boycott, disinvestment and sanctions movement against the apartheid South African government.
The ending of apartheid and the subsequent constitutional state that is being built were epoch-making events and served to elevate “fundamental values”-based diplomacy globally, with the democratic South African government seen as a flag bearer for values-based diplomacy.
This approach by the global community is in stark contrast to the oppression of Palestinians. Many South Africans who experienced the horrors of apartheid in South Africa have visited Palestine and expressed views that the oppression of the Palestinians is worse than what we experienced.
While Palestinians share the experience of oppression that fits in with the description of the crime of apartheid, the global power dynamics with regards to the Palestinian struggle and the struggle of South Africans are very different.
There are hundreds of UN resolutions against the state of Israel, including binding UN Security Council resolutions over the past seven decades. All of these have been violated by the governments of Israel over the years.
It seems that countries that profess to support fundamental rights… are willing to sacrifice these values in defending the Israeli government.
Despite these violations and the ongoing unlawful occupation and related violence, there has never been a call for binding sanctions on the state of Israel, including arms embargoes. Instead, unilateral arms embargoes were levelled against the Palestinians. International action in relation to Israel has taken the form of mild admonishment as opposed to effective countermeasures by the UN and the global community.
Contrast this to the situation with apartheid South Africa where binding UN resolutions with countermeasures were in place, and where these were supported by various countries passing comprehensive anti-apartheid legislation that also made trade, sport and cultural exchanges illegal and/or difficult.
With the situation in Palestine, some European countries are, in fact, passing legislation that makes criticisms of the state of Israel illegal. Again, it seems that countries that profess to support fundamental rights such as freedom of speech, the right to protest and the right of association are willing to sacrifice these values in defending the Israeli government.
Due to the lack of real global political solidarity with the people of Palestine and the lack of real effective restraint-oriented international law instruments against the actions of the government of Israel, their oppressive machinery is arguably much more ruthless than was the case under apartheid. We see this in the attack on Gaza!
We were never subjected to air strikes that wiped out hospitals and other civilian infrastructure. There is a robust international campaign, led by the most powerful states in the world, to support the status quo that favours the government of Israel.
Unlike apartheid South Africa that had to fund its propaganda clandestinely, the occupation is openly supported by organisations and governments across the world. The global narrative is to reduce the occupation to one of a “conflict” that seeks to apportion equal responsibility to “both” sides in what is otherwise a very asymmetrical power dynamic.
This explains the differing approaches, but not the why. The why requires a longer paper, but in short, it can in part be attributed to the context and manner in which the state of Israel was founded.
The continued disregard for the norms of international law at this time may further undermine the global governance system to the extent that international law and its institutions are rendered meaningless.
Violence in what is euphemistically and erroneously referred to as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has been ongoing since the end of World War 1. This started with the colonisation of Palestine by Britain following the break-up of the Ottoman Empire, with the express intention of providing a state for Jewish people in that territory instead of working towards providing independence to the Palestinian people at that time.
The impetus for these actions was driven by anti-Jewish sentiment in Europe and was led by, among others, Lord Balfour who had also passed an anti-migration act in Britain aimed at limiting Jewish migration to Britain following anti-Jewish pogroms in the Soviet Union.
The history of anti-Jewish criticism by the “West” and its horrific consequences for Jewish people in Europe may in part explain the acceptance of the transgressions of the norms and fundamental values that underpin global governance systems and international law by Israeli governments since 1948. The resultant impunity has contributed to the latest atrocities.
Perhaps for the first time in history people around the world are witnessing a textbook case of genocide unfolding in Gaza. The misguided acceptance of the actions of the Israeli government has to end for a just and lasting peace to be realised.
Continuing to embolden the actions of the Israeli government creates an environment in which hatred and militancy grow, making talks towards a just and lasting peace in which the human rights, dignity and aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians are upheld, very difficult.
The continued disregard for the norms of international law at this time may further undermine the global governance system to the extent that international law and its institutions are rendered meaningless.
This can only lead to a worsening of an already volatile global order and the spectre of more wars and more loss of life at scales last seen in World War 2. DM
Zane Dangor is director-general of South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
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Mr Dangor is clearly not a student of history. “Values”, “morality”, “ANC” and “South African Government” don’t belong in any sentence together. It is very worrying that our government has taken sides with a homicidal fundamentalist organisation called Hamas rather than with then only democracy in the Middle East. I can’t recall the struggle to liberate South Africa including butchering civilians, mass rape, mass targeting of civilians or any comparable behaviour. Mr Dangor should have a careful look in the mirror and also do a bit of studying
Mo firstly your statement that Mr Dangor is “not a student of history” is completely unsubstantiated.
Secondly the only democracy in the ME as you put it is as much a democracy as South Africa was during the apartheid years.
Lastly the article is in support of peace and the Palestinian people and not of Hamas in particular.
Except he doesn’t hold Hamas to the same level of responsibility as Israel: to Dangor, Israel’s acts are stone cold war crimes, whilst the rapes, tortures and murders of Hamas require investigation. I hold no candle for this murderous Israeli regime, much as I don’t for the murderous regime of Hamas in Gaza.
His drivel about NATO expansion and understanding Russia’s security concerns in laughable, given that Putin had already invaded one neighbour – Georgia – and brutalised Chechnya for years before annexing Crimea in 2014 and more recently declaring that Ukraine does not exist separately from Russia. The ANC has no moral compass and zero moral high ground to preach to others.
I am in 100% agreement with your comment Dee Bee
agreed
The people who still support Israel are still stuck in the October Hamas unacceptable acts and pretend life stopped there no it is ongoing, 21000 people are dead and dying, the root of this conflict is the occupation and settlements in areas declared by UN resolutions in the presence of Israel and all member states, this is a huge violation which leads to control by Israel of the livelihoods of the Palestinian nation in bad faith and with cruel impunity for decades, the cruelity of the occupier is evident in the indiscriminate bombing of the strip and not sparing secret places in rules of war, you don’t develop this behavior overnight, Americas support for Israel is a selfish foreign policy disregarding UN resolutions which followed will prove that Israel moved in the space of a sovereign nation and chocked them of all resources, destroyed their farms and installed settlements forcefully under the barrel of the gun in violation of UN resolutions and expect those people to be happy and not retaliate?we demand too much from the Palestinians who have stripped to peasants in the Land they deserve to determine their lives like all nations do, is that really too much to ask?
They have to find some way to justify genocide in their name live on TV.
Were the Palestinian people ever offered peace? How many times did they reject it? Do they want peace or will there forever be hate?
They have been offered peace and a two state solution countless times and every time they have rejected it
Following Israeli and Arab media, the homicidal fundamentalist rhetoric is by Israeli Jewish politicians ,media pundits , society and rabbis against Palestinians than by Palestinian and Arab leaders , society , Mullahs against Israeli Jews. Following Israeli TV talk shows the content would be right at home for German newspapers before and during WW2.
So would you – as a member of the national socialist German workers party
Zane makes some good points, unfortunately this piece is laced with double-standards. Why did the govt that he represents support Al Bashir, Mugabe, Castro, et al? All were murderous dictators.
The facts are correct , but his opinion on motives on government motives both ours and others are at mildest childish . All countries act in their self interest( and their voters) and hypocrisy is a staple in the tool bag of all diplomats . Is like we tell kids do as i Say , not as i Do.
This piece is our foreign policy in a nutshell: full of self-serving contradiction and cherry picking of ‘facts’ in support of what amounts to no more than Cold War ideological drivel. The SG of the ANC was effusive in his praise of ZANU-PF’s latest robbed and bludgeoned electoral ‘victory’; there has been no March on the Sudanese Embassy to decry the genocide of black Africans in Darfur (again) and other parts of Sudan; he fudged the facts that Hamas is as guilty as Israel of crimes against humanity; he apportions levels of moral responsibility towards Israel that the ANC state has never demanded of Putin’s brutal regime in their relentless and random bombing and murder of civilians in Ukraine; criminalizing gay rights in Uganda is an ‘internal matter’. The ANC is a shoddy, sleazy shadow of what it was 30 years ago at every level, our foreign policy being no different.
Lies , misdirection to cover up failures of command by IDF officers and prior failed policies of Israel , US , EU , PA and Arab states has lead to this carnage and slaughter.
IDF Statement published in Ynet on 12.12.23 on friendly fire fatalities of soldiers in Gaza, in same statement . ” Casualties fell as a result of friendly fire on Oct 7, but the IDF believes that beyond the operational investigations of the events,it would not not be morally sound to investigate these incidents due to the immense and complex quantity of them that took place in the Kibbutzim and the southern Israeli communities due to the challenging situations the soldiers were in at thetime. ” On Scene commander Brigadier General Barak Hiram on Oct 7 lied to media ( Ilana Dayan ) on 27/10 about ordering troops to open fire on civiliains and also the source on Hamas atrocities had to backtrack to NYtimes now that police video of tank firing in Kibbutz Be ‘eri is released , he now admits ordering that attack , one cannot refute a video. Also in that video none of the houses in the Kibbutz are on fire or destroyed. So who destroyed the Kibbutz and killed civilians ? Hiram is now commander of Gaza Division. Colonel Nof Erez said Oct 7 was a ” mass Hannibal” event. Referring to the IDF doctrine to rather kill Israeli’s that allow them to be taken hostage. So what did happen on Oct 7 ? The official reports released and parroted by Israeli and Western politicians has to many inconsistencies.
With new IDF censorship rules published by Brigadier General Kobi Mandelbilt – Chief Censor for the first time was issued in English so all international media with reporters in Israel can only publish IDF activities that been cleared by IDF. I found the best article so far on events for Oct 7 in electronicintafada articles by Asa Winstanley on 12 Dec and David Sheen on 24 Dec both have links to the original links on Israel news sources with videos of events and eyewitness accounts.
well written and well done.
‘A small spark has started a devastating fire!’
Look Hamas!
What have you done!!!
Andre this was not a small a spark by Hamas the was a tank of fuel to the occupation being carried out with cruel impunity by the Israel regime,before they reacted to October 7 we all knew exactly they were going to slaughter the Palestinians as they have been doing for decades for every reason they can use, since I was born up to today 55 years later the Israel regime has been slaughtering the Palestinians without any tangible opposition by the so called civilized democracies of the world, some were busy exploiting west Africa to care, even today they cannot call Russia to order in the UN councils because Russia points out Afghan,Libya,Iraq,Syria and Palestine and their faces start shining with egg yellow in their faces, the sad fact is the air and sea routes to Africa are very close to the middle east and we will all pay dearly for being indifferent to the atrocities of Israel,America and company as much as they are forcefully trying to force the Houthi’s not to act in support of Palestine we should be united in calling out the genocide because all of not most of our mineral reserves are tied to European institutions and one way or another trade blockade by any acts of war in these seas will collapse our weak economy, we family to heed Gaddafi’s call for a united Africa dependant on its own economic mechanism and they quickly silenced him and we looked the other way, it’s not a spark by Hamas it is the violation of UN mechanisms by the well armed superpowers
Hamas and the Palestinian Authority bring up their children to hate Jews. Hamas uses its funds and ingenuity to build an underground city of war to attack Israel with no thought as to the welfare of Gaza citizens. Bien pensant opinion in the west and elsewhere supports this or at least ignores it. This causes hatred and militancy to grow.
No they teach their kids their history , how they were driven from their villages that their ancestors lived in by force and their villages destroyed ( the good houses were kept and given to IDF officers) .Miko Peled’s mother told her son she refused to accept a house that was offered to his father ( The IDF chief of staff for 67 war) because she could not live in a house where another mother had brought up her kids and her clothing was still hanging in the cupboards , she said some of the houses still had the coffee in cups on tables . On the tunnels how do you counter the IAF and Israeli surveillance. On welfare spending why does Israeli spend money on IDF and not a portion on social services to communities in Israel both Jewish and Arab , were there not protest about social spending a few years ago. Militancy and hatred will stop when Israel and US Jews accept a Palestinian state within pre 1967 borders . Hamas 6 years ago accepted that compromise , now we got 700 000 settlers and the goal of Greater Israel that is holding back Israel’s chance of long term peace. You cannot erase history , you can destroy books and records but they remain in peoples memory.
Steven the tunnels were well known by Israel they were build long before Hamas to bring in essential things blocked by Israel, these tunnels were termed Gaza metro they even joked that whilst they were shopping in malls the Palestinians were shopping underground like rats, for them to be used in warfare it’s just an innovative idea on something that was not initially intended for, the enemy number 1 there is Apartheid laws and occupation, we as South Africans know the feeling although we were different because we co existed and we knew the enemy was the party and government not ordinary folks, in Israel settlers supported by the regime are forcing people out of their homes and killing them and it’s the history that unfolds it doesn’t have to be taught the Palestinian children experience it daily, I invite anyone thinking otherwise to visit Gaza,west bank and all the illegal settlements then you will know first hand that what we called Apartheid here was a warm up
For the record, I think that Zane DANGOR’s article spells out clearly and eloquently South Africa’s position on the need for a better world for all. Cease fire now! Freedom for Palestine now!
As an exercise, replace your word West, with East, or China, or Russia or gender-based violent Iran – and think about your sentence for a bit.
Take your time.
Shocking isn’t it… that lot is even worse!!
Anyway, my comment is even more fundamental:
A DG in ministries should run these professionally and technically and not sprout their personal opinions in print.
Totally unacceptable behaviour from a civil servant.
But then we know that the ANC sees no distinction between itself and the state.
This too is why SA must desperately vote them out. SA must be completely rebooted.
This is his premis:
“It’s a settled fact of international law that an occupying power cannot use military force to attack a civilian population that it generally has complete control over.”
Every bit thereof is hotly disputed on several arenas.
Well, at least in the “West”, you have the freedom to write what you think and critique who you want, how you want. Try that in Russia, Iran, China, or Gaza opposing Hamas, or indeed any other of these delightful regimes the ANC seems so hell-bent on defending.
No laws , in US , UK Germany you just get fired from your job. In UK a child gets disciplined for having a Palestinian flag on his coat. In US a teenager gets kicked out of school because of his mom’s support for Palestine. A Santa Claus gets his gig cancelled due to comments he made in the US, as a result of a petition by Jewish business owners .
The UK has been awash, weekend after weekend, with protestors marching in support of Palestine, with very, very few arrests and where there have been out of direct support for Hamas, which is a proscribed terrorist organisation, and given their wanton violence on October 7th, for good reason. Again I say, try that in a single country that the ANC wants to be associated with out the countries I mentioned and see how long that lasts.
The current ANC and principles are strangers .I never comment on ANC not good for my blood pressure. And my thoughts on them would not pass moderation. &*$%
Pleased to note that you distinguish between the current ANC and what was with the advent of ‘democracy’, a reputable organisation .
So in Mr Dangor’s world Hamas’ murderous attack targeting civilians of all ages in their homes and at a music festival, including the taking of 240 hostages “may” constitute a war crime and “needs to be investigated”, while Israel’s response, targeting Hamas fighters and military infrastructure – admittedly with too many civilian casualties – is described in detail as war crimes, crimes against humanity and “a textbook case of genocide”. In the same breath, Mr Dangor sanctimoniously states that “we were very clear that the use of force by Russia on Ukraine was unlawful”. Is that why South Africa refused to vote for any UN resolution condemning Russia’s invasion, and opted to host joint exercises with the Russian navy?
The real theme of Mr Dangor’s article can be seen in its title : the West’s “misguided support” for Israel. In fact, it is an anti-western diatribe, including such gems as : “some European countries are, in fact, passing legislation that makes criticisms of the state of Israel illegal.” May I ask which countries, Mr Dangor?
This article merely confirms the conscious policy choice made by Mr Dangor’s DIRCO and the ANC government to distance itself from the democratic “West” and align itself with autocratic regimes like China, Russia and the ayatollahs of Iran, bilaterally and through BRICS. This presents great risks for South Africa’s own democracy as well as its already fragile economy. Talk about “misguided choices”, Mr Dangor.
US House of Representatives passed resolution against anti zionism (Israel) , but still needs to pass Senate and President to sign off before becoming law. Germany in committee to make supporting Israel part of their constitution. UK also has a proposal in committee to make anti zionism illegal .
Just a few comments regarding Zane Dangor’s article which I believe is so biased to be fraught with extreme inaccuracies, so let me stipulate this in numbered sentences.
1. The 20000 figures that Mr Dangor quotes are questionable to the extreme, being Hamas figures. They also haven’t taken into account the number of terrorists that have been factored in. Israel puts this at 8000.
2. Mr Dangor calls this a genocide. What an odd genocide when the Palestinian population has grown by a million within a decade
3. Israel isn’t an occupying power. They took everything out of Gaza in 2005, including every settler. Hamas turned Gaza into a terrorist paradise at the expense of Gazan civilians.
4. The US hasn’t written Israel a blank cheque to do as it likes. Israelis don’t want to return to pre-October 2007, to be vulnerable to being slaughtered raped, burned, and kidnapped and so they shouldn’t. Many Israeli soldiers are dying when Israel could easily flatten Gaza in a day if it so wished.
5. The use of the word Apartheid to describe Israel is obscene, considering Arabs are given equal rights to Jews. There are no separate buses and separate amenities.
6. The plight of the Palestinians can be blamed on Hamas and Yasser Arafat. Yasser Arafat was offered a peace agreement on several occasions which met his demands but walked away. Hamas has used and abused billions in funds granted to it by the UN and other funding bodies to build a terrorist infrastructure – unparalleled. There are over 500km of reinforced concrete tunnels in Gaza.
7. Israel is bombing hospital infrastructure, because Hamas use hospitals, schools and kindergartens for their terrorist command centres. They warn the population before they enter hospitals
8. Jews are not a colonial power. The name Jews come from Judah, which was the Kingdom of Judah and was a Hebrew-speaking kingdom of the Southern Levant. Israelites lived in Judea and Israel has extensive archaeological Jewish artifacts.
9. Lastly, this article is written by a person of the Islamic faith, which given the emotional religious context of the conflict, could be biased
Robert on behalf of the Jews and Palestinians who want to live peacefully we are making them sick by either supporting 75 years of illegal occupation as a topic of discussion or the killing regime’s propaganda as comparable to anything be it Hamas or Palestine in Gaza, no one has any right to prescribe how people in Gaza should react or retaliate after being forced to endure the inhumane treatment from the murderous regime slaughtering Palestinians and now that the world is complaining they are looking for any country which can take the Palestinians and they will pay what do you call that?
Comments supporting Israel will never be sane because if you lie for Israel Israel will prove you wrong by doing what they are blamed for,South African’s who migrated to Europe and have not secured citizenship there they can support zionism to beg those countries but look around the streets of Europe and you will find you are the only one with your racist attitude, and you couldn’t stand being equal with other nationals in your own country
Kenneth, thank you for your response. Here is a response to your comment.
1. Within Israel, only a minority, approximately 30% of its Jewish population, identifies as Ashkenazi, tracing their ancestry back to European roots. Some critiques of Israel tend to distort realities by exclusively portraying Israelis as Ashkenazi Jews while using terms like “apartheid” in discussing the Palestinian struggle.
2. The historical connection of Jews and Judaism to the Land of Israel dates to the second millennium BCE. The term “Jew” finds its origins in the ancient Kingdom of Judah, cantered in Jerusalem during the 2nd century BCE. Contrary to certain criticisms, Jews cannot be simplistically labelled as occupiers or settlers from Europe.
3. From 1920 to 1970, a significant number, approximately 900,000 Jews, faced expulsion from Arab and other Muslim nations. This expulsion can be characterized as a form of ethnic cleansing. These Jews were often treated as “dhimmis,” a term describing a protected minority subject to paying for protection that could be withdrawn arbitrarily.
4. Often overlooked is the existence of nearly 200,000 descendants of Ethiopian Jews, who faced threats due to political instability in the early 1990s. They were airlifted to Israel in a remarkable rescue operation, yet their story is frequently disregarded in discussions about Israel’s diverse demographics.
5. Israel stands as a testament to an indigenous people reclaiming their ancestral homeland and revitalizing their ancient language. Despite persistent hostility from neighbouring nations and challenges posed by radicalized Arab nationalists, Israel persists as a political entity in a region where tolerance for alternative political identities remains scarce.
6. Israel is not occupying Gaza. Hamas is occupying Gaza by using it as a launch pad to kill Jews. The have wasted billions to build a huge network of subterranean tunnels. The exclusive purpose being to kill Jews, while neglecting Gazans
7. When Hamas slaughtered Jews on October 7th it was to cries of Allah Akbar. God is Great. This isn’t a fight over land. This is a religious issue where Hamas have clearly articulated that their intent is to kill every Jew, they can lay their hands upon
8. There are Jewish right-wing settlers who pose a threat to Palestinians, but this issue has largely got out of hand, because the Palestinians refuse to make a peace deal with Israel.
9. Israelis don’t want to deny Palestinians their rights. The ultimate solution can only be a two-state solution; however, you can’t make peace with a society whose sole intent is to murder Jews.
Everyone has a history but no history allows anyone to occupy,disinherit,kill,discriminate and those things create ugly reactions 75 years later then you think we are all foolish to think you are victim, Israel is fighting multiple wars now, why didn’t they use those resources to protect everyone including Hamas as the world’s most powerful military,Hamas also needed protection from arresting their hatred for Jews which they were not born with, sorry Robert this is 2024 information is readily available we know and we see what is happening in Rafah,wesbank,Gaza north and south,Ramalah to name just a few, apartheid has never succeeded anywhere in the world that is why colonies fell and I promise you Israel will fall is America doesn’t throw Israel under the bus much sooner than you think
The south African government has opened a case of Genocide against the State of Israel at the ICC, from all the perceived wrongs the government has done this is the best for all the people of Israel and Palestine and for peace in the region, someone will ask why a case was not opened for Hamas my answer is a careful consideration was done based on facts on what is happening in that country and the root of the rot was identified and the action to root out this evil was reached,although Israel will still kill more Palestinians history will see South Africans as people who chose to respect the right to Jews and Palestinians lives
Kenneth, you have your facts mixed up. South Africa lodged a complaint with the ICJ, also called the World Court, which is a UN civil court that adjudicates disputes between countries. It is distinct from the International Criminal Court (ICC), which prosecutes individuals for war crimes. I don’t think Israel is too bothered by this or takes South Africa too seriously. At the moment there is real ethnic taking place in Darfur in Sudan, perpetrated by Islamists, South Africa supports Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine and its best new pal is Iran. A country that exports terror, discriminates against women, murders their own citizens indiscriminately and pays lip service to human rights. You can’t take a country like South Africa seriously. If you want to lead, lead by example, not hypocrisy and double standards. Israel is intent on protecting their citizens from the brutality of Hamas Barbarians to be concerned about South Africa attempting to be relevant when the country has far bigger fish to fry
Thanks for the correction and confirmation of the said action, the remaining issue you are saying nothing about Palestinians or the American who by choice decided not to support Israel with precision guided bombs that pinpoint targets without risking innocent lives which they have, Israel by choice decided to use them in the packed Gaza strip killing a lot of civilians including hostages who was a part of the main said objective of invading the strip, having taken the Step against Israel the American diplomat must explain the American vision of Israel war plans, and what is the American logic of rejecting a cease fire which out weighs the 21000 Palestinians and the point blank shooting of 3 unarmed Israel hostages seeking Israels rescue since it was an undertaken objective, In his view in terms of lives being lost wasn’t America duped into believing those objectives whilst the main objective was wiping out the Palestinians, He should last be asked if he understands that the actions in Israel are against our constitution and by his country supporting those action it puts the diplomatic relations at odds, by the way the country is a part in resotving all the other conflicts in west Africa and Ukraine