Sunday 2 May 2010

South African minister: We support the Palestinians’ struggle for liberation

[ 02/05/2010 - 09:33 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- Deputy foreign minister of South Africa Ibrahim Ibrahim stated Saturday during a visit to the Gaza Strip that his country supports the Palestinian people and their struggle for liberation and the establishment of an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.

Ibrahim told a news conference that he met with Palestinian premier Ismail Haneyya and senior Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Zahhar, and visited some bombed areas and families of victims within a visit to observe the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

He expressed his deep sorrow to see how Palestinian children were killed during the Israeli aggression on Gaza and the daily suffering of civilians under the Israeli blockade.

The official strongly denounced the continued closure of the Rafah border crossing, affirming that he discussed this issue with Egyptian officials and there would be other meetings with them in this regard.

For his part, Palestinian deputy minister of foreign affairs Ahmed Yousuf expressed his appreciation for this visit, especially since South Africa makes special efforts to break the siege on Gaza, noting that this African country was and still is one of the first states to have been in contact with the Palestinian government since it was formed in 2006.

Yousuf pointed out that Ibrahim would carry a letter from Haneyya to the president of South Africa that highlights a number of important issues.

Earlier on the same day, premier Haneyya hailed during his meeting with Ibrahim and his accompanying delegation the efforts made by South Africa to help the Palestinian people, especially at the political level.

Haneyya also appreciated the role of South Africa as a member of the UN Security Council in tabling the Palestinian cause at international meetings and its diligent attempts to break the blockade imposed on Gaza.

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