South Africa, Pakistan Slam “Israel’s” Assassination of Hanyieh

By Staff, Agencies

South Africa has strongly condemned “Israel's” assassination of the head of the political bureau of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran.

In its statement, the South African Foreign Ministry said it is concerned that the assassination of Haniyeh and the continuous targeting of civilians in Gaza will further spiral the already tense situation in the entire region.

“South Africa urges that a thorough investigation be conducted and calls on all parties to exercise the utmost restraint to avoid any acts that would escalate tensions in the particularly fragile region,” the statement read.

South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola also said Haniyeh’s assassination was extrajudicial killing and violated the international law.

“Such acts of extrajudicial killings violate international law and the principles of human rights, undermining global efforts to promote peace and stability in the Middle East,” the top diplomat said.

He further added: “Any form of extrajudicial killing is a blatant violation of these principles and extra judicial killings of this nature have a destabilizing effect. It is crucial that the perpetrators of such actions must be brought to justice.

Lamola said Haniyeh’s assassination occurred in the context of the months-long slack in Gaza, where the ongoing “Israeli” onslaught has martyred more than 39000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

He said Haniyeh was an integral member of the negotiating team, working with mediators to secure a permanent ceasefire and bring the war to Gaza to an end.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Lamola said “Israeli’s” continued occupation, destruction of infrastructure, collective punishment and extrajudicial assassinations would make the realization of a peaceful solution in West Asia much more difficult to achieve.

Similarly, Pakistan’s PM Shehbaz Sharif also strongly denounced “Israel” for flagrantly violating international laws in the “extra-territorial killing” of Haniyeh.

“I believe the entire world has condemned it [Haniyeh’s killing] in the strongest words,” Sharif said while chairing a meeting of the parliamentary members of his ruling coalition government on Thursday

“An extra-territorial killing was conducted in which Ismail Haniyeh was martyred through a rocket,” he said, regretting that international laws were violated in the act.

The premier regretted the world’s “silence” over the incident, saying that it was a time for reflection for the international community.

Sharif also strongly criticized “Israel” for committing acts of barbarity in Gaza.

He said “Israel” had violated United Nations Security Council resolutions repeatedly since last year, lamenting that the entity was not stopping its military offensive in Palestine despite the International Court of Justice describing its actions as “genocide.”

Separately, Pakistan’s Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch on Thursday denounced “Israel’s” act of assassinating Haniyeh, saying that it was an act of “dangerous escalation.”