Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
17 January 2025 | 12:33 CAT
3-minute read

In a nutshell:

• South Africa welcomes the Gaza ceasefire, calling for a just and lasting peace and advocating for Palestinian sovereignty.
• DIRCO expressed hope that Israel will commit to and uphold the ceasefire, given delays in cabinet approval and political tensions within Israel.
• Mr Chrispin Phiri, spokesperson for the Minister of International Relations, highlights the need for international enforcement of humanitarian law, emphasising the ICJ’s findings on Israel’s unlawful occupation and ongoing impunity.

“We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians; without the resolution of conflicts in East Timor, the Sudan and other parts of the world.” Nelson Mandela, 1997

After 15 months of Israel’s brutal onslaught on the enclave, Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement on Wednesday. The agreement, expected to take effect on Sunday pending an Israeli government vote to approve the deal, would see a pause in Israel’s attacks on Gaza and lead to the phased release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

Israel’s security cabinet is set to convene today to discuss the ceasefire and hostage release deal, with a wider cabinet vote to approve the deal set for Saturday.

Since the announcement of the deal, Israel has continued to bombard the enclave, killing dozens of people and marking the highest daily death toll in over a week.

South Africa welcomed the agreement, calling for a just and lasting peace and advocating for a sovereign and independent Palestine.

“The subsequent steps should be the formation of a viable Palestinian state,” Mr Chrispin Phiri, spokesperson for the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, said earlier today on Radio Islam International. “By ‘viable for Palestine’, we mean a Palestinian state in its truest sense. One where we don’t have the occupation continuing in the West Bank and one where the Palestinian people are able to have their own destiny in their own hands.”

On the issue of the ANC’s—and, by extension, DIRCO’s—long-standing support of a two-state solution, Mr Phiri said Palestine should be given the power to independently select its governing structure, reiterating SA’s urgent call for Palestinian sovereignty.

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) expressed hope that Israel will honour its commitments and fulfil the terms of the agreement — a concern heightened by delays in Israel’s cabinet meeting to approve the ceasefire, Netanyahu’s last-minute allegations against Hamas, and threats of resignation from Israeli cabinet ministers.

Given the role the United States- whose unwavering support for Israel has raised grave concern- has played in brokering the deal, it triggers questions about the vested interests the US may have in influencing the terms and outcomes of the agreement.

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) expressed hope that Israel will uphold its end of the bargain and fulfil the terms of the agreement—an uncertainty given the delays in Israel’s cabinet meeting to approve the ceasefire, Netanyahu’s last-minute allegations against Hamas, and threats of resignation from Israeli cabinet ministers.

Reflecting on South Africa’s case of genocide against Israel, Phiri reminded listeners that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) acknowledged the plausibility of the genocide. Israel is expected to respond in mid-2025 and hearings are set for the beginning of 2026.

“We went there on three separate occasions, calling for the implementation of the provisional measures of the court. And we have seen that the provisional measures have not necessarily been implemented by the international community and Israel itself,” Mr Phiri said. “The international community also has an obligation to ensure that one, it ensures compliance with international and humanitarian law. And we do believe that this is an ongoing challenge: the fact that Israel has continued to act with impunity.”

Despite the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issuing advisory opinions stating that Israel’s occupation of Palestine is unlawful and constitutes a violation of international law and urging Israel to cease its actions, no enforcement measures have been implemented by any international body. This points to an enforcement gap in international law, Mr Phiri said.

“Unlike a sovereign state, the United Nations or multilateral institutions rely on member states to enforce international law on their good faith. A sovereign state would normally have at least a police force or security forces to ensure that the law of that land applies. In international law, we are now seeing that this is really an area of weakness where we really have to rely on the good conscience of states to apply international law where they are found foul of it,” Mr Phiri said.

As Gaza rebuilds under a ceasefire, South Africa’s support for Palestinian rights remains a cornerstone of its foreign policy.

Listen to the full interview on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat.