South Africa welcomes the Security Council’s adoption of the ceasefire resolution in Gaza

Johannesburg: The South African Foreign Minister welcomed, on Monday, the resolution adopted by the UN Security Council calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, stressing that “the authority’s ability to ensure” compliance with it will be put to the test.

Minister Naledi Pandor, who is on a visit to the United States, said in a statement to the official South African radio station, “It is a welcome decision and the ball is currently in the court of the Security Council, whose ability to ensure compliance with its decision will be put to the test.”

The minister added, “South Africa has been calling for a ceasefire for several weeks, and we are happy that the Security Council has finally adopted a resolution.”

On Monday, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza, something the United States had previously repeatedly delayed reaching until it abstained this time from voting.

Although Security Council resolutions are binding, the countries concerned often ignore them.

South Africa is a fierce defender of the Palestinian cause, and in recent months it has submitted several petitions to the International Court of Justice, the highest judicial body of the United Nations, in particular accusing Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza.

On Monday, Pandor stressed that “it is natural for South Africa, as a post-apartheid democracy, to defend human rights, justice and freedom for the Palestinian people.”