NAM urges UN to protect civilians in Gaza

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Pretoria - The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) has urged the United Nations to protect the civilians in the Gaza Strip against Israeli attacks.

During a one-day emergency ministerial meeting of the Palestine Committee of the NAM, ministers urged the international community and the UN to help provide the victims of the Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip with humanitarian assistance on an urgent basis, said a statement.

They also called on the UN Security Council to adopt measures to compel Israel to cease its military aggression against the Gaza people and to comply with all of its obligations under international law.

Meanwhile, the ministers demanded a full lifting of the Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip, which has led to acute shortages of basic necessities and a dire humanitarian and healthcare situation in Gaza.

“Israel has the responsibility to swiftly and unconditionally open all border crossing points into and from Gaza, with a view to allowing the entry of emergency humanitarian assistance and the access of medical and relief workers to those in need,” the ministers said in their statement.

The committee had meet for an emergency meeting of Palestine at foreign ministerial level in Tehran.

The one-day meeting was aimed at focusing on the Gaza crisis and ways of dispatching humanitarian supplies to the people of the besieged coastal enclave.

Iran's Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, whose country holds NAM's rotating presidency, had invited the 13 members of the committee -- namely Palestine, Algeria, Egypt, Senegal, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, Colombia and Cuba -- to participate in the meeting. Delegates from other countries have also been invited.

In the meeting, South Africa was represented by International Relations and Cooperation Deputy Minister Nomaindia Mfeketo and President Jacob Zuma’s Special Envoys to the Middle East, Zola Skweyiya and former Foreign Affairs Minister Aziz Pahad.

The foreign ministers also welcomed a decision by the Human Rights Council to launch an official international, independent inquiry into all violations of international human rights law resulting from the recent Israeli military aggression against the besieged Gaza Strip.

During the almost 30 days of the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, the death toll on the Palestinian side has reached 1 800, mostly civilians, plus 9 500 wounded.

On the other side, Hamas has killed at least 64 Israeli soldiers and three civilians, according to Israeli reports. – SAnews.gov.za