The South African government has condemned the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in an airstrike in Tehran early Wednesday morning. (Photo by Iranian Presidential Office via Getty Images)
TThe South African government has condemned the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in an airstrike in Tehran early on Wednesday morning, saying Haniyeh's killing would further escalate tensions in the region.
Haniyeh was a senior Hamas official and part of the group's negotiating team, taking part in ongoing talks aimed at ending Israel's nine-month invasion of Gaza.
In a statement on Thursday, the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation offered its condolences to Haniyeh's family, the Hamas leadership and the Palestinian people.
The statement said South Africa was concerned that Haniyeh's assassination and continuing Israeli attacks on civilians in the Gaza Strip “further exacerbate an already tense situation across the region.”
“South Africa calls for a thorough investigation to be carried out and urges all parties to exercise maximum restraint and avoid any action that may escalate tensions, particularly in a vulnerable region,” the statement said.
International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola said extrajudicial killings such as Haniya's assassination violate international law and human rights principles.
It also undermined global efforts to promote peace and stability in the Middle East, he said.
Lamola said continued occupation, bombings and targeted assassinations “will make it much more difficult to achieve a peaceful solution in the Middle East.”
“No country can be above the law and all countries must respect international law, in particular the principles enshrined in the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” he said.
“Any form of extrajudicial killing is a clear violation of these principles and these types of extrajudicial killings are destabilizing. It is vital that the perpetrators of such acts are brought to justice.”
More than 39,000 people have been killed, most of them civilians, since Israel invaded Gaza last October in retaliation for Hamas attacks that killed about 1,200 people. The attacks have displaced some 2.3 million people.
South Africa has taken Israel to the International Court of Justice for violating the UN Genocide Convention and is at the forefront of efforts to bring international pressure on Israel.
Lamola said Haniyeh was a “key member of the negotiating team that has been working with other countries to secure a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire and end this unspeakable man-made humanitarian catastrophe.”
“The international community must act immediately to end the genocide in Gaza, end impunity, end aggression against the Palestinian people and end the illegal Israeli occupation,” he said.
“It is incumbent upon all of us as humanity to seek a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire. Nothing can justify the deliberate killing and maiming of civilians in the face of the destruction of an entire population on a scale and with speed unmatched in recent history.”
The Committee of Representatives of South Africa's Jews took note of the statement, saying it accused the international relations department of having a “pro-Hamas bias” and of “demonising the only Jewish state”.
This story has been updated to include comment from the National Committee of South African Jews.
