South Africa condemns Israel’s incursion into Lebanon

South Africa on Monday condemned Israel’s onslaught on Lebanon as a violation of international law and cautioned that it risked plunging the Middle East into all-out war.

“The international community cannot afford to remain indifferent,” the department of international relations said in a statement.

“South Africa calls for an immediate end to the bombing campaign as the longer the war continues, the higher the risk that the region will descend into a major military conflagration, presenting a grave threat to international peace and security.”

It said Israel’s strike last Thursday on central Beirut, in which 22 people reportedly died, targeted a densely populated residential area “which is removed from Beirut’s southern suburbs where Hezbollah’s headquarters have been repeatedly bombed over the past weeks”.

In addition, Pretoria accused Israel of repeatedly “breaching the blue line” with its ground incursion into southern Lebanon where 10 400 peacekeepers are deployed under Spanish command.

A number of peacekeepers were wounded in Israeli attacks in Lebanon last week. 

After Israeli tanks entered a peacekeepers’ base in Ramyah in the south of the country on Sunday, UN secretary general António Guterres called on Israel to respect the organisation’s positions. The UN Security Council was due to hold an emergency meeting later on Monday.

Israel on Monday issued new evacuation warnings for more than a dozen cities and towns in southern Lebanon, and overnight attacked a school compound in Gaza where families were sheltering. 

According to the United Nations Works and Relief Agency, 20 people were killed in the strike in Nuseirat. Israel said it targeted Hamas fighters inside the compound.

The department of international relations accused Israel of continuously “violating international humanitarian law with impunity” in Gaza.

It called for an immediate end to Israel’s bombing campaign there and elsewhere in the region, adding: “The longer the war continues, the higher the risk that the region will descend into a major military conflagration, presenting a grave threat to international peace and security.”

The warning followed confirmation by the United States on Sunday that it would send an advanced missile defence system, along with about 100 troops, to Israel, in the first US deployment to Israel since the Hamas attacks on the country a year ago. The announcement came as Israel plans to retaliate against Iran following a missile attack a fortnight ago. 

South Africa is one of a group of nine countries that drafted a letter to Guterres in which they deplore the extraordinary step by Israel to declare him persona non grata and voice collective respect for his leadership.

“In our view, such actions undermine the United Nations’ ability to carry out its mandate, which includes mediating conflicts and providing humanitarian support,” the letter dated October 10 reads.

It was written by Paula Narváez, the foreign minister of Chile, on behalf of what she called a core group of her own and eight other countries, including Brazil, Indonesia, Spain, South Africa, Uganda and Mexico.

It was signed by 104 countries, plus the African Union, reflecting “wide and collective support across the international community”, Narváez said.

“We reaffirm our full support and confidence in your work as the secretary general,” the text continued. 

“We, the signatories, are confident of your commitment to peace and security, and alignment with international law including in promoting respect for international humanitarian law, and the relevant United Nations resolutions regarding the situation in the Middle East.”

The letter voiced concern and condemnation of the statement on 2 October by Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, that Guterres would be barred from entering the country for failing to condemn attacks against Israel in sufficiently strong terms.

“Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran’s heinous attack on Israel, as nearly all the countries of the world have done, does not deserve to set foot on Israeli soil,” Katz said after an Iranian missile attack on Israel a day earlier.

In last week’s letter to Guterres, nations said this stance risked further delaying a ceasefire and the establishment of a credible path towards a two-state solution to allow Israel and Palestine to live side by side peacefully, in accordance with UN resolutions.

“At times of heightened tension, the role of the secretary general is essential in fostering dialogue and understanding among conflicting parties.

“The secretary general plays a vital role in advancing the purposes of the United Nations, as outlined in the charter, including to maintain international peace and security, and develop friendly relations among states.”

The letter voiced support for Guterres’s commitment to peace and security and said he was working in accordance with international law, including in promoting respect for international humanitarian law and relevant UN resolutions regarding the situation in the Middle East.

“The secretary general’s efforts reflect our shared desire for an end to violence and for meaningful dialogue in the pursuit of lasting peace in the Middle East. 

“As member states of the United Nations, we call for respect for the UN’s leadership and its mission.

“We call upon all parties to avoid actions that could weaken the critical role of the United Nations in conflict resolution and instead, to support initiatives that contribute to a peaceful and lasting solution of the crisis in the Middle East.”

The letter was signed by a number of European countries, among them Belgium, France, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, the Netherlands and Switzerland, but not by Germany and the United Kingdom. Nor was it signed by the United States. Russia and China are among the signatories.