The South African government welcomed on Monday a weekend initiative by ”Palestinian armed resistance movements” to declare a three-month cessation of violence against Israelis.
This injected hope into an otherwise fragile process, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Aziz Pahad said in a statement.
”It is very important that great care is taken to safeguard this process.
”We are at a critical stage of this process, with the main factions of the Palestinian resistance having agreed to support the Palestinian leadership in their endeavour to give impetus to their obligations in terms of the Road Map,” he said, referring to an
international initiative to bring peace to the troubled region.
The South African government had consistently maintained that the onus lay on both parties to the conflict to take the necessary measures to support the process, he said.
An environment had to be created that would allow all parties to act as equal partners for peace.
”We should therefore guard against discrediting any measure that aims to further the cause of peace.
”In this regard, any statement dismissing the truce as a ‘ticking bomb’ is not helpful. Given the delicate nature of the process it is important that everybody avoids any actions that can threaten its success,” Pahad said.
The latest move by the Palestinians should be met by supportive measures from Israel.
The South African government was therefore pleased to learn that the Israeli Defence Force had started to withdraw its troops from Northern Gaza.
”To this end, the South African government remains committed to the process underway and calls on both parties to act with the utmost consideration when giving effect to their respective roles in the process,” Pahad said. – Sapa