Deaths in Palestine shock local Muslims

Fireworks fascinate people all over the world, no matter what their colour, creed or nationality. Fireworks herald in a new era, like the new year, or celebrate the end of an era, like the end of the World Cup. But there’s another kind of fireworks occurring in Palestine and this occurrence is being watched by a gallery on spectators seated on their balconies, gardens and every other vantage point.

This is no ordinary pyrotechnics. This is live ammunition – the most sophisticated used by the fourth most powerful army in the world. The pyrotechnics is the adroitness of the IDF (Israel Defence Force).

The gallery admires with glee as mission after mission flies over usurped territory and offload tons of bombs onto virtually defenceless people whose sin is to aspire to live and resist with what little they have – homemade bombs and stones – in a land that is systematically being taken away by force that is incomprehensible.

The Gaza Strip in Palestine measures 11 km x 40km. It has a population of 1.5 million people – making this strip of land the most over-populated area in the world. It has become the world’s largest open-air prison. There is no electricity and no clean water. The thousands who chose to consume salt water now suffer from renal failure. The Gaza strip is locked down from the rest of the world on a 24/7 x 365 basis via a 2.5m high wall on one side and the sea on the other.

Very little if any food, clean water, medicines, building material or clothing is allowed to reach the recipients by a security force that is second to none in the world. Check-points are erected at almost every kilometre and the wait at these points usually takes hours if not more.

Dare anyone – man, woman or child – raise an ire about the delay and the well-drilled defence force personnel mercilessly frog-march the victim to be detained.

This detention can last a month or even a year – depending on the ‘arrogance’ of the victim.

This scenario sounds very one-sided. It is! This is no David vs Goliath struggle. This is the worst form of aggression against human beings.
Why did it have to escalate to this level? In South Africa, apartheid reigned for 48 years and bit by bit it fell apart thanks to pressure from within and internationally.

The situation in Palestine has exceeded half a century. The Israeli government – aided and abetted by the US, Britain, France, and yes, even some Arab nations – ensured that the Palestinians remain subjugated to their masters. In well-orchestrated manoeuvres, land and plantations were taken away and replaced by settlements that house thousands of Israelis. The Palestinians became less than second-class citizens in their own land.

The atrocities, deaths, human rights violations, contravention of the Geneva Convention, contravention of resolutions passed at the United Nations, etc, are well documented and space constraints do not permit us to elaborate here. However, we are willing to discuss these with anyone, anywhere, anytime.

The Muslims of Ladysmith and generally throughout the country bear no malice or hatred nor animosity towards Jews. Their gripe is with the actions of the State of Israel which violates not only human rights but also the teachings of the Torah.

Local Muslims insist that the collective punishment and illegal siege by Israel of the Palestinian people of Gaza must immediately end. We condemn the terror, violence and savagery of the Israeli regime against the people of Gaza. The brutal and ongoing Israeli attacks have thus far resulted in the deaths of over 120 people – mostly women, children and the elderly – and the maiming of close to 1000 people. This is the Israeli regime’s third large-scale massacre of Palestinians in Gaza in less than 6 years.

Recent attacks included a missile strike on a beach-side cafe, killing Palestinian teens watching the World Cup semi-final.

Ineffective homemade rockets fired from Gaza are a mere symbolic response. Palestinians have no defence force; they don’t control the air, the sea, their borders or their resources. The PSC demands more than rhetorical condemnation of violence. We support the national movement’s resolution and agree that our government should institute:

1. The immediate withdrawal of our ambassador from Tel Aviv;
2. Expulsion of the Israeli ambassador from Pretoria;
3. An immediate ban on trade with Israel;
4. A solid, effective commitment to the united Palestinian call for Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) in the form of the following directives;
5. Implementation of the decisions of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) conference in Durban in 2006 to ban all products of Israeli companies operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and prevent the entry of Israeli settlers into South Africa;
6. Prosecute South Africans who enlist in the Israeli Occupation Forces in accordance with the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act;
7. Issue guidelines to South African citizens and businesses, in line with guidelines issued by 17 European governments to discourage support for Israel’s occupation and illegal colonies; and
8. Adopt ethical and international legal guidelines to exclude international corporations such as Caterpillar, G4S, Veolia, from public contracts and South African companies such as Cape Gate because of their complicity with violations of international law by Israel.
9. South African government and Non-Aligned Movement support for SWIFT sanctions against Israeli banks until the Israeli government:
– Agrees to relinquish its nuclear weapons, and to accede to the Non-Proliferation Treaty,
– Agrees to release immediately all Palestinian political prisoners,
– Agrees to end its occupation of the West Bank including East Jerusalem, and that it will dismantle the Apartheid Wall,
– Recognizes the fundamental rights of Arab-Palestinians to full equality in Israel-Palestine,
– Acknowledges the right of return of Palestinian refugees, and
– To terminate and prohibit all trade relations with the Israeli government and citizens.

What You Can Do:
* We, as South Africans, can make a stand. We ask you to pledge your support to the Palestinians by writing to our government, Heads of News for television, radio and Editors at your local and national newspapers. Ask why an event that has brought condemnation from many quarters, worldwide, has been relegated to minor bylines or brief passes on television and radio news and current affairs programming.
Monitor:
1. Lack of coverage on the events unfolding in Palestine.
2. The coverage that is broadcast lacks balance as the views are mostly Pro-Israeli and no comments from Palestinian groups are offered.
3. News clips such as those from the BBC & CNN as well as news content
is obtained from sources that are Pro-Israeli, thus a one-sided perspective is given.
4. No statistics are provided regarding the killings and destruction perpetrated by the Israelis in Gaza.
5. No interviews are carried out which include Palestinian analysts, activists or groups.
Local Muslims, hurt and disgruntled as they are, respect the law of our land and are determined to express their views within the confines of the law. Together with their determination to pressurise the Govt they are also seeking spiritual intervention.

On Saturday, July 26, ladies will engage in prayer at the Islamic Education Centre from 2.30pm to 3.30pm.
More activities have been planned to create a wider awareness among those who have a tunnel vision and absorb everything that the media regurgitates. Propaganda and social conditioning tools have been manipulated to great effect, thereby warping people’s ability to reason and question rationally.

The local committee is available to engage in discussions to demystify the Palestine issue.
For more information, contact Osman Amla (082-800-2791), Shireen Vorajee (082-373-7868) or Iqbal Khan (082-756-0736).