African National Congress (ANC) president Cyril Ramaphosa has welcomed the decision by Spain, Norway, and Ireland to recognise Palestine as a state.
Ramaphosa says the move means that South Africa’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war is justified.
The three countries have announced that they will formally recognize Palestine as a state from Tuesday next week.
President Ramaphosa was commenting on the sideline of the ANC mini-rally held at the KaMhlushwa stadium in Nkomazi, Mpumalanga.
“This means that our call for Palestine to be recognized and for a peace process including a ceasefire is gathering support and we are pleased with that when we took the Israel state to the ICJ, many people thought we were mad some people said this is baseless, saying this is a ground less initiative but now more and more countries are becoming part of our case, Egypt is one of those and there are many others, and we are glad that we have really raised the issue of moral rectitude and justice and humanity in the world.”
Warm welcome for ANC President Ramaphosa in Nkomazi, Mpumalanga:
Palestinian state
Earlier in May, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly backed a Palestinian bid to become a full member, which would effectively recognise a Palestinian state.
Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris says, “I’m confident that further countries will join us in taking this important step in the coming weeks. This is an historic and important day for Ireland and for Palestine.”
The decision was welcomed by the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and by Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.
But Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the recognition undermined Israel’s right to self-defense and efforts to return the 128 hostages being held by Hamas.
Sanchez said Israel had a right to respond to the militant group’s October 7 attack on southern Israel, when 1,200 people were killed according to Israeli tallies.
But not as it had in Gaza.
“And if one thing is clear to me, it is that Prime Minister Netanyahu has no peace project for Palestine. Fighting the terrorist group is legitimate and necessary after the events of 7 October. But Netanyahu is creating so much pain and so much destruction and so much rancour in Gaza and the rest of Palestine that the viability of a two-state solution is in serious danger.”
At a pro-Palestinian solidarity camp in Madrid, students mostly welcomed the announcement but warned it wasn’t enough.
European states have varied in approach – France said on Wednesday conditions were not yet met to recognize Palestine as a state.-Additional reporting by Reuters
