SA government calls for peace talks as Israel declares ' 9/11'

Over 1 000 people have been killed since Hamas, the Palestinian group that controls the blockaded Gaza Strip, launched an assault on Israeli towns on Saturday and took hundreds of people hostage.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has since met in an emergency session amid the war between Israel and Gaza but failed to achieve the unanimity needed for a joint statement.

The South African government has expressed grave concern and called for peace between Israel and Palestine.

" The new conflagration has arisen from the continued illegal occupation of Palestine land, continued settlement expansion, desecration of the Al Aqsa mosque and Christian holy sites, and ongoing oppression of the Palestinian people. 

The region is in desperate need of a credible peace process that delivers on the calls of a plethora of previous UN resolutions for a two-state solution and a just and comprehensive peace between Israel and Palestine," says Dirco spokesperson Clayson Monyela.

 Monyela says South Africa is working together with the international community and seeks to ensure a lasting and durable peace.

"The international community cannot avoid its duty to act, and together, we must shoulder the responsibility to remove obstacles to peace and any violations of international law.

Violence, killings, imprisonment, forced removals, illegal settlements, and the continued siege of Gaza are not conducive to resolving the conflict. 

Urgent attention must be given to resolving the final status issues such as borders, the status of Jerusalem, the release of political prisoners, and the right of return.

No real and lasting peace in Israel, Palestine, and the region is possible in the absence of a just and comprehensive resolution of the conflict. Israelis, Palestinians, and the region do not stand to gain anything from escalated tensions, increased violence, growing instability, and a continued and protracted violent conflict.

South Africa therefore calls on all sides to seize the opportunity for peace as opposed to violence," he adds.

Meanwhile,  Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour used the UN Security Council meeting on Sunday to call on diplomats to focus on ending the Israeli occupation.

" We chose the peaceful way, the one that the international community advocates for. Do not let Israel prove us wrong for our sake and theirs. This is not a time to let Israel double down on its terrible choices, this is a time to tell Israel it needs to change course, that there is a path to peace where neither Palestinian nor Israelis are killed," he said.

 At the same time, Israeli U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan said the attack was Israel's 9/11.

"This is Israel's 9/11 and Israel will do everything to bring our sons and daughters back home..

Today many members of the International community are supporting Israel, but if history has taught us anything, we know that tomorrow that may not be the case.

The International community particularly the UN and the Security Council have a very short memory when it comes to Israel, the terror that we ensure quickly becomes a side note but this time will not be the same. We will not let the world forget the atrocity our country suffered," says Erdan.

 The United States said it would send multiple military ships and aircraft closer to Israel as a show of support.

Chairperson of the African Union Commission,  Moussa Faki Mahamat expressed his utmost concern.

"The Chairperson wishes to recall that 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 Chairperson urgently appeals to both parties to put an end to military hostilities and to return, without conditions, to the negotiating table to implement the principle of two States living side by side,  to safeguard the interests of the Palestinian people and the Israeli people," he said.

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