Foreign minister can implement SA’s derecognition of the Israeli occupation
25 July 2024 - 18:57
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Nicholas Woode-Smith calls on foreign minister Ronald Lamola to usher in a new era of SA diplomacy (“Lamola has an opportunity to set foreign policy right”, July 24). He specifically draws attention to engagement with Israel in light of Hamas’ October 7 2023 attacks, and SA’s subsequent trips to The Hague.
Woode-Smith’s call is a timely one given the International Court of Justice’s July 19 advisory opinion on the Israeli occupation of Palestine. The court affirmed that Israel has — since 1967 — illegally occupied and in effect annexed Palestinian territory.
Importantly, the court stressed that member states of the UN have a duty (the court’s word) not to recognise the illegally occupied territory as Israeli, as well as a duty to desist from supporting Israel’s ongoing illegal occupation of Palestine.
Lamola’s challenge will be to balance SA’s long-term preference for engagement with the court-sanctioned imperative to clamp down on enabling of the occupation. This will require increased targeted sanctions and punitive action, not only against Israel but also accountable non-state entities.
The court’s direction will sit well with a government that has never bought into the twin conceits that Israel has sovereignty over all the territory it controls, and that Palestinian history began last October.
In his previous position as justice minister, our new international relations & co-operation minister led SA’s globally lauded Genocide Convention dispute submission. The rigour of SA’s papers in those proceedings shows that Lamola is up to the task of implementing SA’s derecognition of the Israeli occupation.
Neil Horne Gardens
JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
LETTER: Ronald Lamola is up to task on Israel
Foreign minister can implement SA’s derecognition of the Israeli occupation
Nicholas Woode-Smith calls on foreign minister Ronald Lamola to usher in a new era of SA diplomacy (“Lamola has an opportunity to set foreign policy right”, July 24). He specifically draws attention to engagement with Israel in light of Hamas’ October 7 2023 attacks, and SA’s subsequent trips to The Hague.
Woode-Smith’s call is a timely one given the International Court of Justice’s July 19 advisory opinion on the Israeli occupation of Palestine. The court affirmed that Israel has — since 1967 — illegally occupied and in effect annexed Palestinian territory.
Importantly, the court stressed that member states of the UN have a duty (the court’s word) not to recognise the illegally occupied territory as Israeli, as well as a duty to desist from supporting Israel’s ongoing illegal occupation of Palestine.
Lamola’s challenge will be to balance SA’s long-term preference for engagement with the court-sanctioned imperative to clamp down on enabling of the occupation. This will require increased targeted sanctions and punitive action, not only against Israel but also accountable non-state entities.
The court’s direction will sit well with a government that has never bought into the twin conceits that Israel has sovereignty over all the territory it controls, and that Palestinian history began last October.
In his previous position as justice minister, our new international relations & co-operation minister led SA’s globally lauded Genocide Convention dispute submission. The rigour of SA’s papers in those proceedings shows that Lamola is up to the task of implementing SA’s derecognition of the Israeli occupation.
Neil Horne
Gardens
JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.
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