a) South Africa and Lebanon celebrate the 30th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations in 1994. As members of the United Nations and sharing mutual respect for the letter and spirit of UN Security Council resolution 1701, it is incumbent on South Africa to condemn the current bombardment of Lebanon.
The escalation in Lebanon, which is clearly linked to the ongoing onslaught on Gaza, has the potential to plunge an already fragile region into a regional conflict. South Africa continues to call for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire not only in Lebanon but also in occupied Palestine and Syria. South Africa also called on world leaders to put pressure on Israel to stop the attacks in Gaza, West Bank, Lebanon and Syria. Furthermore, South Africa called on the United Nations Security Council to play a meaningful role by enforcing the decisions it takes.
b) South Africa has condemned the attacks by Israel Defense Force on United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which is in violation of the International Law and Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006). In this context South Africa called upon the international community to support UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and UNIFIL’s role in Lebanon.
At the initiative of President Emmanuel Macron, a Ministerial Conference in support of the people and sovereignty of Lebanon was held on 24 October in Paris. This conference was organised with the Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati. South Africa was invited to take part in the Conference as a friend of Lebanon to recommit solidarity to the people of Lebanon and was represented by the country’s Ambassador to France, H.E. Mr Nathi Mthethwa. The Conference responded to the United Nations’ appeal and announced $1 billion in aid, including $800 million in humanitarian aid and $200 million to support Lebanon’s security forces. The conference underlined the urgent need for a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel and for a diplomatic settlement based on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 making it possible to ensure the safety of the populations and the safe return of displaced people to their homes, in both Lebanon and Israel.
Through our multilateral partnerships and collaboration with like-minded countries, South Africa is also a co-signatory on a letter signed by 51 other countries and two international organisations addressed to the United Nations Security Council, calling for a halt of arms shipments to Israel. The joint call for an arms embargo letter was addressed to the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the United Kingdom which currently acts as the rotating president of the UN Security Council, and the President of the UN General Assembly Philemon Yang.
South Africa will continue to call on UN Security Council members, through our multilateral engagements and platforms to fulfil their responsibilities by taking firm and immediate measures against Israel’s occupation, to hold Israel accountable for its crimes and to back a UN arms embargo on Israel.