South Africa: “Israeli” policies reminiscent of the apartheid

South Africa slams "Israel" over plans to authorize construction of new settlements drawing parallels between Tel Aviv's practices toward Palestinians and the "forced removals"of the apartheid era.

"We condemn the fact that "Israeli" settlement expansion in East Al Quds (Jerusalem) is coupled with "Israel's" campaign to evict and displace the original Palestinian residents from the City," the government said in a statement.

"Israeli" authorities are planning to demolish 150 Palestinian houses, home to about 1,000 people in East Al Quds (Jerusalem), according to a new report from the Jerusalem Center for Social and Economic Rights.

The leveling of two structures in the town of Beit Hanina on Monday were the first of a series that "Israeli" officials are planning over the coming year.

The statement noted that South Africa is deeply concerned that the activities by "Israel" will only serve to deepen the cycle of violence in the area. "We call upon "Israel" to cease their activities that are reminiscent of apartheid forced removals and resume negotiations immediately," the statement read.

The statement also pointed to the international condemnations of "Israel's" latest plan to construct 900 new housing units at Gilo settlement which is built illegally on Palestinian lands occupied in the 1967 war.

"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 recognized borders," the statement reiterated.

Last week, "Israel" gave approval for the construction of hundreds of new housing units in illegally annexed East Al Quds (Jerusalem), drawing international criticism as it drove another stake into the heart of efforts to restart the so-called peace process.

Under the 2002 Roadmap for the "Peace plan" brokered by the United States, the European Union, the United Nations, and Russia, "Israel" has to ‘dismantle settlement outposts erected since 2001 and also freeze all settlement activities.'