Leaders of major emerging economies called for an end to Israel’s war on Gaza and for a cessation of hostilities on both sides to ease the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. The BRICS grouping condemned attacks on civilians in Palestine and Israel during a virtual summit that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa presided over. Many leaders referred to the forced eviction of Palestinians from Gaza or elsewhere as ‘war crimes’. In this Al Jazeera interview, SAIIA’s African Governance and Diplomacy Programme Head, Steven Gruzd, says the summit reflects the growing assertiveness and confidence of the BRICS grouping, not waiting for the West.
