Speaking to the Anadolu Agency on Monday, Former South African foreign minister Naledi Pandor renewed urgent calls to reform the United Nations.
Pandor was the foreign minister when South Africa filed a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in December 2023.
The ICJ ordered Israel to take all measures to prevent acts of genocide in the Palestinian enclave. It also directed Israel to ensure the provision of humanitarian aid and essential services to Gaza.
During her interview in Istanbul, Pandor said,
“It cannot be that we allow the world to stand by, weak, while the people are being murdered,”
She continued,
“We need a capacity that is military, that can go and become a protector of the innocent wherever such harm occurs in the world.”
Speaking about UN reform, Pandor asks,
“What form of enforcement capacity should we create in the global community? It could be under the remit of the Security Council, but then the composition of the Security Council cannot be as it is today.”
Pandor explains,
“Because these are the very nations that actually cause a great deal of harm or support it.”
The United States, which is one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, is one of the biggest suppliers of arms to Israel. The US has also repeatedly used its veto to block any action against Israel.
Pandor says that the world has grown “complacent” in confronting Israel’s actions in Palestine, she emphasizes the need to continue support for Palestinians.
“We need to have voices all over the world in support of the people of Palestine, and if we go silent, then Palestine’s cause will become a forgotten one, and I don’t think we can allow that.”
Read the full interview on Anadolu Agency here.