South African President Ramaphosa today expressed support for the Palestinian cause during a speech on behalf of the ANC National Executive Committee. He was not cheerleading the violence, but emphasized standing with the people of Palestine and offered condolences to both the people of Israel and Palestine. Ramaphosa discussed the historical oppression faced by Palestinians and called for a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders. Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe sat next to him, and they both wore the Palestinian shawl during the address.
Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor also condemned Israel, likening it to an apartheid state, during her own passionate speech addressing a conference organized by the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, today. Pandor mentioned her opposition to Israel’s having been granted observer status at the African Union (AU) and recounted her successful efforts to reverse that decision. She even suggested that South Africa might reconsider its AU membership if apartheid state Israel were allowed to attend.