BRICS Demands an Instant Truce in Gaza, and South Africa Denounces Israeli “Genocide”

During an unusual meeting on Tuesday, the chair South Africa accused Israel of war crimes and “genocide” in the Palestinian territories, and the BRICS group of countries urged for an urgent and long-term humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. To develop a coordinated response to the Israel-Hamas crisis, the BRICS group of significant developing economies—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—met virtually in Pretoria.

In a recap of the meeting, the group said, “We called for an immediate, durable, and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities.” “We reaffirmed our unwavering support for regional and global initiatives targeted at attaining an expeditious cessation of hostilities, guaranteeing the safety of civilians, and furnishing humanitarian assistance.”

Following the bloodiest assault in Israel’s history on October 7, when Hamas terrorists murdered almost 1,200 people, largely civilians, during cross-border operations, fighting broke out in Gaza. Israel responded by beginning a ceaseless bombing campaign and land invasion in Hamas-ruled Gaza.

Over 13,300 individuals have died in the battle, many of them youngsters, according to Hamas. “It is a war crime for Israel to collectively punish Palestinian people by using force against them without authorization. According to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, “the deliberate denial of fuel, food, medicine, and water to the residents of Gaza is tantamount to genocide.”

Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, said on Tuesday that a cease-fire with Israel was imminent, while Qatar, the mediator, added that talks to release the hostages taken by the Palestinian Islamist organization were “close to reaching an agreement.”

BRICS leaders and delegates expressed the need for a “international peace conference” in order to establish a long-term diplomatic solution to the Israeli-Palestinian problem and to maintain peace.

Speaking via an interpreter, Xi said, “There can be no sustainable peace and security in the Middle East without a just solution to the question of Palestine.”

“BARBARIC ACTS”

China has always supported a two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue and shown sympathy for the Palestinian people. Additionally, it has made an effort to get more involved in the Middle East this year. It has helped to arrange a historic reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran and has sent an ambassador to the area to advocate for a truce in the Israel-Hamas war.

The member nations of BRICS, an abbreviation for the group, regard themselves as a counterbalance to the global order dominated by the US and the West. Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva described the bombings and hostage-taking by Hamas as “barbaric acts,” adding that they “did not justify the use of indiscriminate and disproportionate force against civilians.”

Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, said that a “long-term and sustainable ceasefire” was essential to “prevent other states from being drawn into the war.” Putin has blamed the West of inciting tensions in the Middle East and chastised Israel for its actions in the conflict.

“THREE STATE SOLUTION”

India’s foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, said that “the concerns of the Palestinian people must be addressed in a serious and sustainable manner, this can only happen with the two-state solution that is based on peaceful coexistence.” Participants in the discussions were also asked to represent Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, all of whom are scheduled to join BRICS in January 2024.

The African National Congress (ANC), which is in power in South Africa, has long been a strong advocate of the Palestinian cause and often draws parallels between it and its own fight against apartheid. It withdrew all of its ambassadors from Israel earlier this month, and last week it sided with four other countries to demand that the war be looked into by the International Criminal Court.

Israel’s foreign ministry said on Monday that it had summoned back its envoy to Pretoria for talks. The meeting coincided with discussions on the crisis this week by a team of foreign ministers from the Palestinian Authority, Indonesia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan.