ANC statement on the cease-fire in Gaza

22 November 2023

The African National Congress (ANC) welcomes reports of a pending cease-fire in Gaza to allow for more aid and fuel for civilians and the release of prisoners and hostage.

The reports come off the back of the National Assembly adopting an amended motion to close the Israeli Embassy until there is a cease-fire and a binding United Nations-facilitated peace process which is sustainable.

The adoption of the amended motion afforded the people of South Africa an opportunity, through their elected public representatives, to express their views on the unfolding genocide and obliteration of the Palestinian people whose land has been illegally confiscated and occupied.

The adopted motion is consistent with our long-held commitment by the ANC to stand with the people of occupied Palestine, as it is clear that the degenerating security situation is directly linked to unlawful Israeli occupation. This motion follows the ANC-led government's decision to report the senseless killing of innocent Palestinians, especially women and children, to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Despite the ICC not acting on a similar request by the Palestinian Authority in 2018, it is our firm belief that the current situation will make the ICC act decisively.

The ANC wishes to reiterate that the ongoing war between Israel and Palestine is not a religious war. It is about the legitimate right of a people to live on their land along the pre-1967 borders in peaceful co-existence. It is about the right to land and an economy that has, over decades, been stripped away by force and against United Nations resolutions through enforced settler communities being imposed on Palestinian land.

To this end, the ANC calls all peace-loving people of the world to speak loud and clear about the catastrophe that the Israeli war is bringing, not just to Gaza but to the Middle East region.

Issued by Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri, ANC National Spokesperson, 22 November 2023