The African National Congress (ANC) has taken a stand in support of Palestine by organising a picket outside the Israeli embassy in Pretoria.
The demonstration is a show of solidarity with the people of Palestine as the conflict in the Middle East intensifies.
The ANC, represented by party spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri, has maintained its commitment to the self-determination of the Palestinian people. The picket and related campaign actions come in the wake of more than a week of escalated violence and retaliatory attacks between Israel and Palestine.
This surge in hostilities was triggered by an unexpected military onslaught on Israel by the Palestinian group Hamas, which occurred two weeks ago.
Bhengu-Mutsiri emphasised the ANC’s long standing stance on the matter saying, “We have been calling for the self-determination by the people of Palestine and calling for peace, calling for negotiations, calling for a two-state solution. This has been frowned upon by apartheid Israel for the longest of times. Today, the entire world has woken up to it, and every nation is rising in support of the self-determination for the people of Palestine. We are embarking on this march this morning, and that will be followed by several other campaign actions, including engaging the South African Jewish Board of Deputies.”
The ANC is not only expressing solidarity but also demanding an end to the violence in the Middle East, where the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues to escalate. Tragically, over a thousand lives have been lost on both sides since Israel declared war against Hamas two weeks ago.
Notably, women and children have been among the casualties, particularly during attacks on Gaza.
As the conflict rages on, Gaza is grappling with a severe humanitarian crisis. The United Nations and the international community have urgently appealed to the warring factions to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered to Gaza. However, Israel has not shown willingness to cooperate with these appeals, further heightening tensions in the region.
Reaction to hospital strike in Gaza:
