ADDIS ABABA
African Union Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on Thursday regretted the outbreak of violence between Israel and Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip and called for ending Israeli airstrikes against the Palestinian enclave.
“Dlamini-Zuma has been following with concern developments in the Palestine [Palestinian territories] and Israel, in the context of Africa’s ongoing solidarity with the struggles of the Palestinian people for self-determination,” the pan-African body said in a statement.
“The civilians in Gaza continue to suffer from these attacks and intensified restriction of movement,” it said.
“These attacks have ruined Gaza's infrastructure and electricity cables, demolished houses, schools and hospitals in addition to seriously polluting the environment.”
Dlamini-Zuma also urged all Palestinian factions to stop attacks from Gaza against Israel, including rocket fire and cross-border attacks.
Dlamini-Zuma called on “all parties to end all forms of aggression, for the removal of all blockades against Gaza and on all to work towards creating an atmosphere conducive to peaceful negotiations.”
She also expressed the body's full support to the Palestinian people for “the restoration of their legitimate right to establish an independent State co-existing peacefully with the State of Israel.”
The A.U. chief also urged the UN Security Council “to do its utmost to stop the ongoing violence and work to achieve a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the region based on the principle of a two-state solution, according to the 1967 borders."
Israeli warplanes have been pounding the Gaza Strip since July 7 with the stated aim of halting rocket fire from the besieged coastal enclave.
At least 230 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed so far – and more than 1700 injured, many seriously – in the unrelenting Israeli strikes.
Gaza-based resistance factions, meanwhile, have continued to fire rockets at Israel – some of which have reached Tel Aviv – in response to the deadly air offensive.
One Israeli has been killed as a result of rocket fire from Gaza.
By Addis Getachew
www.aa.com.tr/en
