Pretoria reiterates its unwavering support and solidarity with Palestinian people at Geneva meeting of UN Human Rights Council
South Africa on Monday called on all United Nations members to recognise Palestinian statehood and act in solidarity with Palestine’s people.
“We continue to appeal for an end to Israel’s unlawful occupation, an end to the ongoing genocide, together with efforts to permanently displace the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank,” Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola told a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.
“South Africa reiterates unwavering support and solidarity with the Palestinian people,” he added.
Lamola also said South Africa is concerned about attacks on Francesca Albanese, the UN Special rapporteur on occupied Palestinian territories, as well as special procedures mandate holders – independent human rights experts the council appoints to monitor, advise, and report on specific country situations – in general.
“Special procedures mandate holders play a key role promoting and protecting human rights and they must be protected,” he said.
Lamola added that South Africa is concerned about attacks on multilateralism, the unpredictable geopolitical dynamics, and the erosion of a rules-based international order.
South Africa, which has been vocal on the Palestinian issue, in December 2023 filed a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of violating its obligations under the Genocide Convention in its actions against Palestinians in Gaza.
Since then, the court has issued a series of provisional measures ordering Israel to take steps to prevent acts of genocide, but it has had little effect on the ongoing genocide in Palestine. Despite the US-sponsored ceasefire, the killings have continued on a daily basis as well as increasing settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank.
Despite the support by several Arab and Muslim countries for US President’s Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, they have done little to stop the genocide. Instead, they have bought into a vision which will permanently end the aspirations of the Gazan people.
The Organisation of African countries is meeting this week to discuss the settler land grabs and violence in the West Bank, but most analysts see it as a token move, with little expection of any outcome to protect the Palestinians.
More than 72 000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed and over 171 000 others injured in the Israeli war since October 2023.