Pretoria - South Africa has joined the international community in condemning the latest round of Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip.
"The South African government notes with concern the latest round of Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip and registers its condemnation in the strongest possible terms," Department of International Relations and Cooperation Ministerial Spokesperson, Malusi Mogale, said on Monday.
He said such activities would prejudge the outcome of final status negotiations and threaten the viability of a two-state solution.
"South Africa maintains that these attempts by Israel to create facts on the ground imperil attempts to achieve a negotiated solution to the conflict, namely that of two states, Israel and Palestine existing side by side in peace within internationally recognised borders."
Mogale said South Africa believed that a peaceful negotiation is the only means of ensuring lasting peace, security and stability.
He appealed to all political protagonists in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to take heed of the will of the international community as evidenced in the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.
He stressed that these actions on the part of Israel jeopardised the prospects of resuming peace talks aimed at arriving at a final settlement to the conflict.
"We reiterate the call to the governments and peoples of Palestine and Israel to refrain from actions that jeopardise the peace process and focus on creating conditions conducive to the immediate resumption of negotiations," said Mogale.
