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South Africans will march on Friday in support of the people of Palestine.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign decided to organise the march after US President Donald Trump’s announcement on Wednesday that his country was recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and that it intended to move its embassy from Tel Aviv.
The move was universally condemned as illegal in terms of numerous decisions of the UN Security Council as well as under international treaties including the Geneva Convention.
“Given his propensity for reckless and unilateral actions, Mr Trump and the Israeli government may not have anticipated the backlash that will reverberate around the international community.
“The announcement is likely to become a watershed event in 21st century history, and may yet mark the end of US financial and military hegemony around the world.
“That Zionism is a form of apartheid and that Israel is an apartheid state that repeatedly commits war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide against the Palestinian people is now thoroughly documented.
“South Africa’s own liberation from the system of apartheid was a consequence of international solidarity, especially banking sanctions, with our struggle against racial oppression.
“President Nelson Mandela famously declared that South Africans would not be truly free until Palestinians are free,” activist organisation the Palestine Solidarity Campaign said in a statement.
The organisation has also called on the African Union to urge the United Nations, the European Union and other organisations to implement suspension of international financial transactions to and from Israeli banks until the Israeli government agrees to the following demands:
• The immediate release of all Palestinian political prisoners;
• To end the occupation of the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and Gaza, and dismantle the “apartheid wall”;
• To recognise the fundamental rights of Arab-Palestinians to full equality in Israel-Palestine; and
• To acknowledge the right of return of Palestinian refugees.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign called on Capetonians of all communities, particularly Christians and Jews as well as Muslims, to “demonstrate their commitments to universal human rights as enshrined in the Constitution”.
The demonstration will be held tomorrow from 1.30pm to 3.30pm outside St George’s Cathedral in Wale Street.
More demonstrations and events would be announced in coming days.
