President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for solidarity, tolerance and dialogue as the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas intensifies.
He wrote this in his weekly letter to the nation.
It’s more than a month since the beginning of the war in which thousands of people have been killed.
South Africa has been calling for a ceasefire and has since referred the matter to the International Criminal Court (ICC) requesting it to investigate Israel for possible war crimes.
Ramaphosa says according to authorities, more than 1 200 people have been killed in the attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7.
He says more than 11 000 Palestinians have been killed to date in Gaza as a result of Israeli Defence Force bombardments since then.
“More than 60% of the people killed in Gaza are reported to be women and children. As the bombardment of Gaza continues, there have been pro-Palestinian demonstrations around the world, as well as those expressing solidarity with Israel. There have been a number of such events in our own country, convened by civil society organisations, political parties and religious groupings. What is happening in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank provokes strong emotions,” Ramaphosa adds.
As a people with our own painful history of discrimination, racism and prejudice, let us remember our personal duty to be tolerant and respectful of others.
Let us promote dialogue and meaningful engagement so that, as South Africans, we may work together to support the… pic.twitter.com/ChRrEzcaq4
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) November 20, 2023
