Cape Town - South Africa’s International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola has welcomed the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which follows 15 months of Israel’s extensive assault on Gaza.
Department spokesperson, Chrispin Phiri, called for the establishment of a “just and lasting peace” that protects and promotes the human rights of both Palestinians and Israelis.
While the ceasefire was announced late on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the details were still being decided.
The actual implementation of the ceasefire agreement is expected to take place on Sunday.
On Wednesday, American President Joe Biden said there will be three stages to the ceasefire.
The first will be a complete ceasefire within six weeks and withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. This includes a release of hostages held captive.
The second phase is a permanent end to the war, and the third is to rebuild the city of Gaza, which was destroyed by Israeli bombing raids.
University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) International Relations lecturer, Lubna Nadvi, said as for what South Africa can expect from negotiations depended on the parties who have engaged with each other (via others such as Qatar, Egypt, etc), which is Hamas and the State of Israel.
Nadvi said one has to wait and see what happens between now and then.
She added that it is, therefore, hard to predict what will be expected as most Palestinians prefer a one-state solution.
“Palestinians should be able to decide for themselves what final political solution they want for themselves. The SA government’s position of two states is as per the historical UN stance,” she said.
Nadvi said the three stages outlined appeared pragmatic, given the immediate context. However, she said what should be part of the final solution is the end of the Israeli occupation.
“Including all aspects of it, such as checkpoints, removing the wall separating towns, house demolitions, and administrative detention. Also Palestinians from Gaza, West Bank, and the global diaspora should be able to talk to each other and discuss what is best for them collectively,” Nadvi said.
The deadly conflict between Israel and Hamas saw the destruction of Gaza in Palestine.
Israel’s hunt for Hamas destroyed much of Gaza, killing 46 707 people, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry that the UN considers reliable.
Palestinian militants took 251 people hostage during the October 7 attack, 94 of whom are still being held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
Phiri, for the Department of International Relations and Cooperation said: “The ceasefire agreement is a crucial first step toward ending the severe humanitarian crisis faced by the 2.3 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has deemed to be plausibly genocidal,” said Phiri.
“The ceasefire must lay the basis for a just peace, which should include the establishment of a contiguous, independent, and viable Palestinian State.
All obstacles to delivering humanitarian assistance must be lifted immediately and unconditionally, allowing civilians unrestricted access to essential food, water, shelter, and healthcare,” said Phiri.
University of Johannesburg Department of Politics and International Relations Professor Siphamandla Zondi said the reconstruction stage must include a reconciliation process, addressing trauma and rehabilitating society as a whole.
“The decision to begin a ceasefire and open up a space for negotiation between Israel and Hamas is a welcome one for many countries of the global south including South Africa because it is in-line with South Africa’s foreign policy position generally against wars and calling for peace and for peaceful settlement of conflict in line with the UN Charter,” Zondi said.
Zondi said this decision and milestone brings SA closer to that desired position in the foreign policy position which is a peaceful settlement of the conflict via diplomatic means leading into a negotiation on a more long term solution.
“Perhaps that most likely will lead to a two state arrangement if both sides agree. The three stage process will be an important one. The exchange of hostages is very important because it is a confidence building mechanism that can begin to create the momentum for peaceful intervention. A permanent end to the war is absolutely necessary.
So many lives have been lost over really unclear things,” Zondi said.
On January 11, 2024, South Africa hauled Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the charge of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention. This was for Israel’s indiscriminate bombing and siege of Gaza following the deadly October 7 attack.