Ronald Lamola calls for urgent recognition of Palestinian statehood at UN conference
Image: Screen capture: UN Web TV
As the world gears up to address one of its most enduring conflicts, International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola has delivered a poignant statement at the high-level international conference at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters, aimed at spearheading practical measures toward achieving a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Lamola said South Africa continues to condemn the horrific events of October 7, where innocent Israeli citizens were killed.
In a reaffirmation of its anti-war stance, South Africa outlined key principles necessary to restore the credibility of the two-state solution.
'Firstly, all states must urgently recognise Palestinian statehood, and the territorial integrity and contiguity of Palestine should be established and respected. In this regard, South Africa welcomes the intentions of recognition of the state of Palestine by France as an important step towards achieving a two-State solution,' Lamola said.
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'Secondly, there cannot be peace while the very existence of the Palestinian people is being threatened by Israel's continued genocidal actions in Gaza and the forced displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank. This is part of a systematic pattern of injustices and oppression of Palestinians since the adoption of Resolution 181 and the subsequent Nakba in 1948. These actions must be condemned, and the UN Security Council must act to protect the Palestinian people in whole and in part.
'Thirdly, preserving the viability of the two-state solution must include promoting safeguards such as the full respect for international law, including international humanitarian law, and human rights law. It is necessary for the immediate and full implementation of resolutions of the United Nations and the provisional measures, as well as Advisory Opinions of the International Court of Justice,' Lamola continued.
The minister said all states, not just Israel, must follow their collective obligations under international law. They all must preserve the sanctity of international law and ensure accountability.
Against this backdrop, the Hague Group was established, and the Madrid Group recently convened. Both initiatives aim to elevate the primacy of international law, promote accountability, and ensure a just peace.
Lamola said all obstacles to a two-state solution must be removed.
This includes an immediate ceasefire and a commitment to a peace process; the release of hostages by Hamas and political prisoners by the state of Israel; the halting of illegal Israeli settlement expansion; the removal of the illegal separation wall cutting across the occupied Palestinian Territory; and the resumption of all internationally reputable humanitarian relief efforts and the reconstruction of Gaza, which of course can only take place once there is peace.
'Global attention is on this conference. There is an expectation that we will deliver an effective response to the destruction of an entire population and a peaceful path for preserving the prospect of a viable Palestinian State existing side by side with the State of Israel in peace and security. This expectation is not misplaced, and it could not be higher,' he said.
'Eighty years since the founding of the United Nations, this is a matter that has plagued our collective conscience. The solution lies with a tangible re-commitment from all of us to the values that bind us.'
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said statehood for the Palestinians is a right, not a reward. Denying statehood would be a gift to extremists everywhere.
'The only realistic, just, and sustainable solution is two States – Israel and Palestine – living side-by-side in peace and security, within secure and recognised borders, on the basis of the pre-1967 lines, with Jerusalem as the capital of both – in line with international law, UN resolutions and other relevant agreements,' Guterres said.
He implored the international community not only to keep the two-state solution alive, but to take the urgent, concrete, irreversible steps necessary to make it real.
thobeka.ngema@inl.co.za
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She said the air quality has been particularly good since the "metal works are currently stopped".
