In his weekly letter, the South African president recalled that, “as a government and as a country, we stand firm in our call for justice, for the oppressed Palestinian people, for the fulfillment of their rights and hopes”.

Ramaphosa added: “South Africa maintains that peace in the Middle East “will not be possible until the Palestinians are free”.

However, he noted, support for the Palestinian struggle cannot be equated with anti-Semitism.

Commenting on the nature of some recent popular demonstrations in South Africa, the President reiterated that there is no place for anti-Semitism in South Africa, just as there is no place for prejudice based on race, religion, belief, political opinion or sexual orientation.

In a free and democratic society, such as ours, he said, where divergent opinions are respected and protected by law, we will continue to defend the rights of all to demonstrate peacefully, whether they are pro-Israeli or pro-Palestinian.

As a people with our own painful history of discrimination, racism and prejudice, let us remember our personal duty to be tolerant and respectful to others, he concluded.

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