Publications
Partners
- The ANC has blamed Israel for the increased violence witnessed in Palestine and Israel.
- Hundreds of people were reported dead in both countries in what started as an unexpected missile attack on Israel by Hamas militants.
- The ANC and African Union believe Israel's hostility towards Palestinians was to blame for the increasing tensions.
The ANC says the actions of Palestinian Hamas militants in Israel were "unsurprising" because of Israel's continued occupation of Palestinian land.
The party has long supported Palestine, believing the country was facing increasing hostility similar to South Africa's former apartheid regime.
"It can no longer be disputed that South Africa's apartheid history is occupied Palestine's reality.
"As a result, the decision by Palestinians to respond to the brutality of the settler Israeli apartheid regime is unsurprising," Bhengu-Motsiri said in a statement on Sunday.
She added:
"Israel's policy of settling its civilians in occupied Palestinian territory and displacing the local population contravenes fundamental rules of international humanitarian law," she added.
Hundreds of people have been reported dead and others injured in what first began as a missile attack by Hamas forces into Israeli territory.
The AFP reported ongoing violence continued between Israel's armed military forces and Hamas forces from Saturday to Sunday.
While the South African government has in the past taken a diplomatic stance towards Israel, calling out the country for its stance against Palestinians, the ANC has been the most vocal about its belief Israel worsened the tenuous situation in the Gaza Strip.
EXPLAINER: What we know about the Hamas assault on Israel
The ANC called on both sides to "seize the opportunity for peace".
The head of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, took a diplomatic tone on the violence in the region.
However, like the ANC, he insisted the lack of recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people was the cause of the ongoing conflict.
The AFP reported Faki said: "… [The] denial of the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people, particularly that of an independent and sovereign state, is the main cause of the permanent Israeli-Palestinian tension".
The Israel Embassy in South Africa called the Hamas militants kidnappers and terrorists in a post shared on Twitter.
Editor's Note: This article was edited for clarity. In a previous version it stated that the ANC 'justified' the Hamas attack, when the statement instead indicated it believed the attack was 'unsurprising'.
Editor's note: This article has been edited for accuracy.
