Chairperson of the South African Parliament's Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation Chairperson, Tandi Mahambehlala, expressed deep concerns over the Israeli plan to annex portions of the occupied West Bank.

South Africa compared that the Israeli annexation plan to Apartheid government’s violence of forced removals, reminding the Palestinian people about the long history of South Africa’s solidarity with the people of Palestine and repeated what former President Nelson Mandela said about that solidarity: “Our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians."

He added: “We are calling for a prompt, acceptable and lasting solution towards the Middle East peace negotiations. Any resolution must lead to the lasting socio-economic stability and political statehood for the people of Palestine.”

Mahambehlala reaffirmed that South Africa supports the aspirations of the people of Palestine for the creation of a viable and independent Palestinian state, living in coexistence with Israel.