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S. African gov't says no military solution to Palestinian-Israeli conflict
Last Updated: 2018-11-30 11:32 | Xinhua
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There can be no military solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the South African government said on Thursday.

Peaceful negotiation is the only means of ensuring lasting peace, security and stability in the region, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said in a statement marking the United Nations International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, which falls on Nov. 29.

While joining the international community in observing the occasion, the South African government renewed its shared commitment to a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue, the DIRCO said.

In this regard, South Africa encourages the call on all parties in multilateral forums such as the United Nations, the Arab League and the African Union to negotiate in good faith in order to reach a permanent and just solution, the statement said.

The prolonged Palestinian struggle against dispossession and the fragmentation of the State of Palestine has resulted in the aggressive displacement of many Palestinians seeking refuge mainly in the Middle East, said the DIRCO.

"With each passing day, the number of Palestinians in need of humanitarian assistance increases," the department said. "It has therefore become clear that the conflict between Palestine and Israel feeds into the wider regional dynamics by having a negative effect on peace, economic development, socio-political progression and security throughout the entire region."

The ongoing Israeli settlement activity in the occupied territories is a fundamental obstacle to a return to negotiations and a grave threat to the very existence of a future Palestinian state as well as a safe and secure Israel, the DIRCO noted.

The South African government believes that the only way to bring about lasting peace in the Middle East is to have a two-state solution for Palestine and Israel, the DIRCO said.

The peace process was hampered by two days of Israel's aerial attacks on the Gaza Strip earlier this month, making this the most severe flare-up since the 50-day conflict in 2014.

"We further call for maximum restraint and express the hope that there will be no renewed escalation in Gaza or in any of the occupied Palestinian territories," the DIRCO said.

The department reiterated South Africa's solidarity with the Palestinian people and their right to self-determination, as well as its traditional support for a free and sovereign State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

"South Africa believes that ending the occupation is in the interest of both Israel and Palestine, and we call on both parties to take concrete steps to that end," the DIRCO said.

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