The South African Communist Party (SACP) urged the United Nations (UN), on Wednesday, to put extensive pressure on the Israeli regime to abandon its apartheid policy on Palestine.

This follows the escalating violence between Gaza and Israel, in which 43 people have died, as Israel continues with plans to evict Palestinians from the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah.

Israeli forces also attacked worshippers outside a mosque.

In a statement, the SACP has said that the apartheid policy, declared a crime against humanity by the UN, adopted towards Palestine involved measures being undertaken by Israeli regime that appear to be even worse than those that were imposed in South Africa.

“Every day, Israel demonstrates its intentions to destroy the lives of the Palestinian people and have absolute control over Palestinian land in its pursuit of its colonialist and imperialist agenda, backed by the US government,“ the SACP said.

It added that successive Israeli apartheid regimes have relentlessly violated all international agreements on the resolution of the crisis and that Israel is intensifying the illegal construction of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land.

The SACP called on world leaders to isolate Israel.

“The SACP stands in unconditional solidarity with the people of Palestine in their resilient fight against the Israeli apartheid regime. We support all efforts across the world aimed at the strengthening of international solidarity, as well as democratic and peaceful activities in support of the oppressed Palestinian people,” the party said.