Protesters blame SA Zionists for violence in Israel

JORDAN MOSHE

Vitriol and hatred like this spewed forth from pro-Palestinian demonstrators outside the US Consulate in Sandton. They gathered on Tuesday afternoon, shortly after the Cape Town protest march ended.

Here, protesters were vocal in blaming South Africans who support Zionism for the ongoing violence in the Middle East. “We in South Africa will not allow for the discrimination of Zionists,” said the Palestine Solidarity Association (PSA) speaker.

“The Zionists advocate for a Jewish state only and have a different legal system which they apply to Palestinians.

“Anyone who supports them should be expelled from South Africa. The SA Zionist Federation (SAZF) should be banned for supporting racism. Down with Zionists, Israel and America.”

Sporting placards with messages of condemnation, the group denounced Israel and the US, and called for the return of the Israeli ambassador to Israel, the banning of the SAZF and the expulsion of all Zionists from the country.

With cries of “Allahu Akbar” and “Amandla”, the group – which included representatives of the PSA, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (NUMSA), the SA Communist Party (SACP), BDS, Kairos SA Christian movement and others – expressed their outrage and condemnation.

Despite their strong feelings, however, the group of 60 or so protesters adhered to the instructions of police officers present and limited their demonstration to a certain area only.

“We commend what our government has done,” said BDS board member Kwara Kekana. “But we call on our leaders to downgrade the embassy immediately. The 15th of May is the day when Palestinians were systematically cleansed from their homes and replaced by apartheid Israel. The South African government cannot have ties with such a country.”

Speaking through a loudhailer, representatives of the PSA read out a memorandum addressed to the staff of the American Consulate. “We refuse to accept America’s act of imperial hegemony,” read the memorandum. “Under no circumstances shall Palestinians and the international community accept such an arbitrary unilateral decision announced by Trump to declare Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

“The illegal process of Judaisation (De-Christianisation, etc) of Jerusalem through discriminatory practices and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians must immediately cease and be reversed.”

Addressing Israel, the memorandum went on to say that the PSA demands “immediate cessation of grave violations… by the perpetration of criminal offences by the Israeli apartheid regime and its settlers alike which include, inter alia: home demolitions, forcible displacement, extrajudicial killings, torture, arbitrary detention and home confinement of Palestinian children, which have all been used as weapons of war, psychological warfare and instruments of systemic apartheid”.

The list of demands included America taking back its recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, imposing an arms embargo and sanctions on Israel, and abiding by international humanitarian law.

“The last nail in the coffin of the peace process is the illegal move of the American embassy to Jerusalem,” said PSA’s Roshan Dadoo. “Israel has been threatening Iran with all sorts of nonsensical claims to foment war in the region, and we cannot have relations with such a state. We are here to say loudly and clearly that we have been through the same struggle as the Palestinians, and that this protest is just the beginning.”

The protesters moved towards the consulate’s entrance, where it was announced that NUMSA’s Jerry Morulane and the PSA’s Ziyaad Patel would hand over the memorandum to the consulate after American officials refused to come out to accept it.

“We are dealing with a very vicious United States which does not care about the lives of people, which is precisely why they don’t care about what happened yesterday, where close to 60 people were mowed down and killed. They are receiving the ammunition to kill the people of Palestine from the US,” said Morulane.

Despite accepting the document, the consular staff refused to sign the memo, a move which greatly displeased those present. Sharing his frustration, Patel described how he felt as though he had been scrutinised by Israeli border control. “Going into this building was like being in an Israeli checkpoint,” he said.

“They searched us for weapons when the whole room was full of their own arms and weapons. We disapprove of their imperial agenda. America is becoming a pariah state, and it must humble itself before the world and stop its arrogance.”

The SACP added its voice to the demonstration, arguing that what is happening in Gaza could be worse than what happened in South Africa at the height of apartheid. “This is a continuous genocide of an indigenous people,” said their spokesperson.

“Israel seeks to annihilate the Palestinian people. The Palestinians supported us in our struggle, and we need to reciprocate now. The SACP will stand with the PSA and the BDS and will continue to attend all events which they host.”