(Pretoria) Palestine News Network
As tensions escalate between Israel and its Palestinian and Lebanese neighbors, many countries around the world are voicing their concern about the conflict. Today, the South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs released an article about what officials in South Africa are saying about the emerging Middle East crisis.
PNN is pleased to reprint the article unedited and in its entirety:
Pretoria - The South African Government is greatly concerned at the increasing cross-border violence involving Israel, the Gaza Strip and now also Lebanon. The escalating Israeli military strikes into Gaza after the capture of an Israeli soldier has now reportedly been followed by rocket attacks into Israel from Lebanon as well as Israeli military incursions and air attacks into Lebanon, resulting in the capture of two other Israeli soldiers and the death of seven Israeli soldiers.
The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Aziz Pahad, has stated that the South African government views these escalating attacks in a very serious light. He commented, "The attacks are clearly raising tensions in the region to new dangerous heights at a time when both sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should be looking at ways to end the negotiation deadlock and move the peace process forward. In addition, the assaults have led to increasing hardships for the Palestinian people in Gaza and unacceptable civilian casualties, including, reportedly, the deaths of nine members of the same family." The use of air-strikes in heavily populated areas to carry out extra-judicial killings is against international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions.
Deputy Minister Pahad added that the South African government strongly condemned the reported Israeli air strike on Beirut International Airport, which put civilian aircraft using the airport at risk and was thus clearly in contravention of international civil aviation safety requirements. The Deputy Minister said, "the Government calls on the Israeli Government to refrain from this type of action and, as a major military power in the region, to act with restraint to avoid further civilian casualties and the destruction of vital infrastructure."
The extension of the principle of collective punishment from the Palestinian Occupied Territory to Lebanon is a very serious development. Deputy Minister Pahad called on the Palestinians and Hezbollah to release the Israeli prisoners and called for an end to the launching of rockets. Failure to do so is resulting in Israeli military offensive causing massive death and destruction.
At the same time, Deputy Minister Pahad called on all parties involved in the conflict to stop all provocative acts which will further increase tensions in the region and to look at ways to de-escalate the current crisis, with a view to protecting the lives of all civilians and the eventual resumption of negotiations.
He reiterated that, "the South African government remains ready to assist all parties in the current confrontation to promote dialogue in order to bring about lasting peace in the region." The isolation and sanctions against the Hamas led government is not conducive to finding a political solution.
He also called on the international community to act urgently and decisively to prevent a catastrophe and a possible regional war.
