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Israel, Hamas must end aggression: Zuma

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The Israeli defence force and Hamas must end all forms of aggression towards each other, President Jacob Zuma said on Sunday.

“The Israeli defence force must immediately withdraw from the Gaza strip and bring to an end the violent and destructive incursions into Palestinian territories,” he said in a speech prepared for delivery.

“We equally condemn the continuing firing of rockets by Hamas into Israel, putting lives of innocent civilians at risk.”

Zuma was speaking at the launch of the African National Congress’s Imvuselelo Campaign in Bloemfontein, in the Free State.

He said the ANC urged Hamas and Israel to work towards a ceasefire agreement and that negotiations between the two for a permanent resolution resume.

“We strongly oppose the continuous construction and expansion of settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories by the Israeli government, which violates international law, gravely undermines peace efforts and threatens the viability of the two-state solution,” Zuma said.

“We welcome recent efforts to achieve intra-Palestinian unity, including the formation of a national unity government and steps towards conducting general elections.”

This was key for a democratic and sustainable Palestinian state, he said.

According to Agence France-Presse, the death toll in Gaza passed 400 on Sunday. It was day 13 of the deadliest violence in the enclave in five years. SAPA


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2 comments

  1. he must have said during our anti apartheid years that the anc pac et al were EQUALLY condemned as the apartheid regime, ie “equally” blameworthy of violence ie oppressor and victim were equally blameworthy,

    well its better to remain quiet like patricia de lille than to talk crap

  2. This President of ours is a disgrace. His speech could have been made by any of the big power backers of Israel. The Palestinians are resisting military occupation ethnic cleansing, land theft, expulsion, house demolition, assassination, detention without trial. They are being shot from the air, sea and land by one of the top five armies in the world. And our President, who used to be in the armed wing of the ANC, condemns the firing of rockets.

    The President cannot take a principled stand because there is no strategic value to supporting the Palestinians and isolating Israel. The ANC has forgotten that the palestinians are still doing what the ANC claimed it was doing i.e. fighting a struggle for freedom.

    Sorry Mr Zuma, you are wrong. There are only killers, victims and bystanders. You want to be a bystander who does not want to really antagonise the killers. Shame on you.

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