The assassination of Hamas leader and former Palestinian prime minister Ismail Haniyeh has sent tremors throughout the diplomatic world. Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola has called for “a thorough investigation” of what it called the “targeted assassination” of Haniyeh. Haniyeh was killed in a strike in Tehran that Iran has blamed Israel for.
The strike that killed Haniyeh came just hours after Israel said it had killed a top Hezbollah commander in a retaliatory strike on the Lebanese capital, Beirut. The killings took place as regional tensions were already inflamed by the war in Gaza, a conflict that has drawn in Iran-backed militant groups in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen. Israel has declined to comment on the Tehran strike. In a statement on Thursday, Lamola called for a “thorough investigation” into Haniyeh’s death and called on all parties to exercise the utmost restraint to avoid any acts that would escalate tensions. “Such acts of extrajudicial killings violate international law and the principles of human rights, undermining global efforts to promote peace and stability in the Middle East,” Lamola said.
It is certainly odd that Israel has not claimed responsibility for Haniyeh’s death. Israel has long been a tentacle of American aggression and imperialism. The purpose the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) serves for Washington DC and the military industrial complex is to protect US military and economic interests in the Middle East. Interests that would appear to colonialist should the US intervene like Iraq. The role of the militant groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah for Tehran has been in part to counteract this colonial influence as well as expand their own political influence. South Africa for its part may be concerned about a disruption in oil supplies if conflict and war escalate in the region. Pretoria doesn’t want a disruption in the trade of oil coming its way as it is one of the few countries that has good relations with Iran.
Both Iran and South Africa are members of BRICS+ and extrajudicial killings are bad for business.
In a statement released on Thursday, the South African Foreign Ministry said it is concerned that the assassination of Haniyeh and the continuous targeting of civilians in Gaza will further spiral the already tense situation in the entire region. “South Africa urges that a thorough investigation be conducted and calls on all parties to exercise the utmost restraint to avoid any acts that would escalate tensions in the particularly fragile region,” the statement read, Press TV reported. South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola also said Haniyeh’s assassination was extrajudicial killing and violated international law. “Such acts of extrajudicial killings violate international law and the principles of human rights, undermining global efforts to promote peace and stability in the Middle East,” the top diplomat said.
South Africa is also concerned that escalation of conflict in the region could exacerbate another refugee crisis. Pretoria also doesn’t want an escalation of the conflict in Gaza and Lebanon because it could draw in the South African Defence Force (SANDF) which is thinly stretched and poorly equipped and trained to handle a war. (This is the truth). Economically the country would not be able to sustain a heavy war effort due to the unfortunate risks of state capture and large-scale corruption. The culture that had placed such mechanisms in place is still there and will take a long time to clear up. President Ramaphosa knows that the only way to avert a large-scale war or conflict is through rational diplomacy. What remains a mystery is why Israel has unabashedly declined to claim responsibility. Unless they are afraid of worse retaliation by Iran.
There is the possibility that Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu could face being assassinated in turn. Perhaps the Israelis are being more cautious concerning the threat of such an attack on their sadistic PM.
“Such acts of extrajudicial killings violate international law and the principles of human rights, undermining global efforts to promote peace and stability in the Middle East,” the top diplomat said. “Any form of extrajudicial killing is a blatant violation of these principles and extra judicial killings of this nature have a destabilizing effect. It is crucial that the perpetrators of such actions must be brought to justice.” Lamola said Haniyeh’s assassination occurred in the context of the months-long slack in Gaza, where the ongoing Israeli onslaught has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. He said Haniyeh was an integral member of the negotiating team, working with mediators to secure a permanent ceasefire and bring the war in Gaza to an end. Elsewhere in his remarks, Lamola said Israeli’s continued occupation, destruction of infrastructure, collective punishment and extrajudicial assassinations would make the realization of a peaceful solution in West Asia much more difficult to achieve.
Extrajudicial murders will lead to a bitter taste on the side of the one who was murdered. Even during a war where thousands are being killed, the fact that by taking out the leader of the enemy horde could at least weaken their moral can lead to the birth of a new enemy movement shows a need for a new alternative. Crush the head of the snake a hundred more will grow in its place. That is what Israel is doing and will find itself fighting off more militants than it bargained for. All Tel Aviv under Netanyahu has done is create more enemies than they have bargained for.
The death of Haniyeh will leave much to be desired for in terms of new leadership in Gaza amid the amassed carnage and genocide. The threat of an escalation from Gaza and Lebanon could lead to another uprising in the West Bank that could encompass the civil war in neighbouring Syria. There is a need for Pretoria and the rest of the world to step up and call for a ceasefire and those responsible for Haniyeh’s death to be accountable.
Article written by:
Yacoob Cassim
Journalist at Radio Al Ansaar
