South Africa is dismayed to note a statement attributed to Mr Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s Minister of Finance, on 12 November 2024, in which he has ordered preparations for the annexation of the occupied West Bank. This development is compounded by a decision adopted by the Israeli Cabinet on 18 June 2024, which gave Minister Smotrich approval to plan construction in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OTP). It should be recalled that soon after his appointment to his current position, Mr Smotrich moved quickly to approve thousands of new settlement homes and legalised previously unauthorised settlements, which practically made it more difficult for Palestinians to build homes and move around.
The Israeli government has long sought to find ways to permanently seize or annex the occupied West Bank. South Africa calls on the international community to unequivocally oppose the Israeli government’s continued violation of its obligations under International Law and Resolutions relating to its belligerent occupation. The Israeli government’s provocative policies and actions are extreme and warrant decisive response by the international community. South Africa is opposed to the Israeli illegal annexation and settlement expansion on Palestinian lands.
These developments go further than just a de facto annexation of the OPTs and entrenching the illegal Israel’s presence in the OPT, particularly in the West Bank. This latest move illustrates the lack of any meaningful effort directed at achieving peace or any hope for a two-state solution.
Israel should be reminded of the unanimous adoption of the UNSC resolution 2334 on 23 December 2016, which unequivocally states that the Council: “Reaffirms that the establishment by Israel of settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-state solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace”.
South Africa further calls for concrete actions aimed at reviving a political process, leading to the establishment of a viable Palestinian state, in compliance with all relevant UN Resolutions, international law and internationally agreed parameters.
