JOHANNESBURG, April 29 (Xinhua) -- South Africa is urging Israel to allow humanitarian aid to reach those in need in Gaza, presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said on Monday.
"South Africa calls on the government of Israel to allow the Freedom Flotilla to provide humanitarian assistance where Israel has an occupying power that does not provide this aid while imposing its siege on Gaza," Magwenya made the remarks at a press briefing in Pretoria, the administrative capital of the country.
The "naval blockade" that Israel would seek to enforce by impeding the Freedom Flotilla is a violation of international law, he said.
Any action taken to impede the passage of the Freedom Flotilla would constitute a further and egregious breach of the two binding orders the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued to prevent irreparable harm to the rights of Palestinians, said Magwenya, adding that Israel's ongoing blockade preventing the flow of humanitarian aid to starving populations is unlawful.
South Africa will have "parallel initiatives" to put pressure on Israel and its allies to ensure peace in the Middle East, said the spokesperson, who also urged the international community to talk to Israel to comply with the ICJ provisional order.
South Africa filed an application to the ICJ for proceedings against Israel on Dec. 29, 2023, and the ICJ ordered Israel to take all possible measures to prevent genocide acts in the Gaza Strip on Jan. 26, 2024. ■
