Pretoria - Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane has called on Israel to lift the blockade on Gaza so the Palestinian people can rebuild their lives.
“It is… our firm view that the Palestinian people have a right to freedom of movement,” Minister Nkoana-Mashabane said.
Speaking at the International Donors' Conference in Cairo in the Arab Republic of Egypt, she said she was pleased that the Palestinians had reaffirmed their willingness to resume the negotiations with Israel on a permanent resolution to the conflict.
More than 60 countries participated in the conference including a number of regional and international organisations.
Minister Nkoana-Mashabane said South Africa was committed to the aspirations of the Palestinian people in their struggle to achieve freedom and independence.
“At the height of the recent attack on Gaza, President Zuma was swift and spontaneous in pledging US$1 million towards humanitarian assistance and further appointed Special Envoys to give impetus to the political track of this protracted political conflict,” she said.
Minister Nkoana-Mashabane said the people of Palestine were looking to the international community to assist them to rebuild their infrastructure and create an amenable environment that would lead to a permanent and peaceful resolution of the long lasting Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
“We stand ready to be of assistance if called upon to share our experiences on national reconciliation, nation building, constitution building and post conflict reconstruction and development,” Minister Nkoana-Mashabane said.
The International Donors' Conference on Palestine, entitled ‘Reconstructing Gaza’, was hosted by the government of Egypt and Norway, together with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
The conference was aimed at securing financial pledges and other contributions required for reconstructing the Gaza Strip following the Israeli bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza from 8 July to 26 August.
The bombardment resulted in large-scale human suffering, displacement and unprecedented material destruction in Gaza. – SAnews.gov.za
