Israel should be labelled ‘apartheid state’- South Africa

The South African Government has called for the classification of Israel as an apartheid state, to hold it responsible for its violations against Palestinians.

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The South African minister of international relations and cooperation, Naledi Pandor, during a meeting with the Palestinian Heads of Mission in Africa Conference in Pretoria on Tuesday said the UN General Assembly should investigate whether Israeli occupation can be labelled as apartheid.

Pandor cited Israel’s continued occupation of “significant portions of the West Bank” and the building of new illegal settlements as “glaring examples of violations of international law”.

She said: “The Palestinian narrative evokes experiences of South Africa’s own history of racial segregation and oppression.

“As oppressed South Africans, we experienced first-hand the effects of racial inequality, discrimination and denial, and we cannot stand by while another generation of Palestinians are left behind.”

South Africa has been an ally of Palestinians since the end of its apartheid system in 1994, and the two countries have formal diplomatic relations.

MTO/Aljazeera