Leaders of Colombia, South Africa and Malaysia slam Israel for 'systematic violation' of international law

The leaders of South Africa, Malaysia and Colombia issued a sharp rebuke of Israel for its treatment of Palestinians and breaking international law in a letter published by Foreign Policy magazine on Tuesday. 

"The assault against the Palestinian people echoes dark chapters in our own countries’ histories - South Africa under apartheid, Colombia during counterinsurgency, and Malaysia under colonial rule," they wrote. 

The leaders said Israel has "systematically violated" international law in Gaza. 

"Just as the international community once united to dismantle apartheid in South Africa - through similarly coordinated legal, economic, and diplomatic pressure - we must now unite to enforce international law and protect the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination," they added. 

The letter was also authored by Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla, the acting chair of the Hague Group.