South African President Oaths Not To Ignore Palestinian Rights Determine His Fate

JAKARTA - South African President Cyril Ramaphosa vowed his country would not ignore its commitment to Palestine to guarantee their right to determine their own destiny.

In a speech broadcast on TV, after the International Court (ICJ) ordered Israel to take all steps according to its strength' to prevent genocide in Gaza, Ramaphosa expressed hope that the ICJakan decision would open up a solution to the crisis in the Palestinian enclave.

The president said a number of parties criticized South Africa for filing Israel with a court in The Hague.

However, he stressed, South Africa as a country that had experienced apartheid could not stand silent and witnessed the atrocities that occurred without any action.

As reported by ANTARA from Anadolu, Saturday, January 27, Ramaphosa emphasized that his government will not be a passive spectator when crimes committed against South Africa befall other countries.

On Friday, January 26,ICJ also ordered Israel to take immediate and effective action that would allow the provision of basic services and much-needed humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip. However, the court did not issue a mandate on the ceasefire.

On December 29 last year, South Africa filed a lawsuit against the United Nations (UN) high court to ask for a court ruling, arguing that regime attacks in Gaza violated the Genocide Convention.

Ramaphosa underlined the need for joint efforts to realize a ceasefire and negotiations on permanent solutions with two countries coexisting.

"The act of genocide will never again be carried out without punishment," he said, adding that the perpetrators must be held accountable.

Previously, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Africa said, "South Africa will continue to make every effort to maintain the existence of the Palestinian people as a group, to stop all acts of apartheid and genocide against the Palestinian people, and to jointly realize their collective right to determine their own destiny."

"As Nelson Mandela once said, 'Our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinian people'.