The South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) has rejected as ”unjust” a government statement condemning Israeli military actions in Lebanon and Gaza.
”The SAJBD regards this statement as unjust, highly partisan and wholly unreflective of the realities of the current conflict in the Middle East,” said national chairperson Michael Bagraim.
He said the South African government’s recent statements on the Middle East had seriously undermined its credentials as a credible international player in the quest to achieve a lasting peace in the region.
Bagraim said Hamas and Hezbollah were the parties guilty of breaking international law and of war crimes. He said they used their own civilians as human shields from which to launch their attacks and that unlike Israel, they deliberately sought to target civilians.
”The fact that both Palestinian and Lebanese civilians have lost their lives is a direct result of Hamas and Hezbollah basing themselves in civilian areas.
”For this reason, the responsibility for every civilian death, whether on the Israeli or Arab side, should be laid squarely at the door of these two rogue terrorist organisations,” Bagraim said.
He said the SAJBD deeply regretted the continued loss of life on both sides in the current conflict and called on South Africa and the international community to condemn Hamas and Hezbollah for initiating it.
”The accusations that have been levelled at Israel, including collective punishment, war crimes and breaches of international law are completely at odds with the reality of a sovereign state conducting a legitimate defensive war against overt acts of aggression against its neighbours,” he said. – Sapa