South African government must act urgently to end apartheid Israel’s ethnic cleansing

13 October 2023

BDS Coalition demands that SA government stop Israel's ethnic cleansing with its military decree, released at midnight on Friday 13th October 2023, that 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza evacuate to Southern area of the Gaza Strip

The BDS Coalition has been contacted by our member, Professor Haidar Eid, a South African-Palestinian living and teaching in Gaza, to say at midnight last night, Israel broadcasted an instruction order to 1.1 million Palestinians trapped in their northern part of Gaza to leave the rooms that Israel had confined them to and effectively walk 35 kilometres to the Southern area of the Gaza Strip.

The Eid family together with others, is currently taking refuge in Northern Gaza after their apartment was bombed by Israel earlier this week. They are among the millions of Palestinians who, after their apartments were bombed to the ground, were instructed by Israel not to leave whichever rooms they found shelter in. This was prior to last night's midnight military instruction decree.

The 1.1 million Palestinians, many of whom are severely injured, disabled or children, or elderly people, have been given the impossible task of somehow finding their way to Southern Gaza on foot by midnight tonight without food or water, while bombs continue to rain down around them. There are another 1.1 million Palestinians already in Southern Gaza who already have no water, food, electricity or medication.

Israel has also started bombing Gaza with the banned white phosphorous (https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/10/12/israel-white-phosphorus-used-gaza-lebanon) which, according to Human Rights Watch, has "a significant incendiary effect that can severely burn people and set structures, fields, and other civilian objects in the vicinity on fire".

“Any time that white phosphorus is used in crowded civilian areas, it poses a high risk of excruciating burns and lifelong suffering,” said Lama Fakih, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

Israel's obscene demand was also reported by Al Jazeera this morning. The United Nations has said the mass relocation is “impossible”, and would have devastating humanitarian consequences.

Israel is bent on carrying out genocide against Gaza-based Palestinians. This comes directly after the head of the Israeli army dehumanised all Palestinians and described all Palestinians as "animals" in order, as Palestinian physician and Palestinian member of Parliament in the Palestinian Legislative Council, Mustafa Barghouti said, to justify their war crimes against Palestine. Already, Israel has destroyed 250 000 Palestinian homes in Gaza in the past few days.

We concur with Mustafa Barghouti that Israel has begun carrying out ethnic cleansing of the entire population of Gaza, as according to Netanyahu, every Gazan must "leave".

There are only a few hours left of Israel's horrific deadline and the BDS Coalition demands that the South African government take the strongest action possible to force Israel to withdraw this demand immediately.

The Palestinians cannot get to the southern Gaza Strip by any form of transport, as Israel has bombed thousands of cars and has also bombed the roads. Israel has also bombed the southern Gaza Strip to smithereens. If 1.1 million Palestinians were to make it to Southern Gaza and gather there on open land, there would be nothing to prevent Israel from claiming that 'terrorists' were hiding among them and bombing them all.

It is utterly unthinkable that 1.1 million people should be rounded up into the open air and starved of food and water while Israel rains down bombs around them. It is also approaching winter in Palestine and can be very cold at night.

On the other hand, if Palestinian families continue to shelter in the rooms they were forced to find refuge in after their homes were bombed, Israel is very likely to bomb them there too.

We in South Africa are all too familiar with Israel's murderous tactics as they were the very same tactics used by the Apartheid government and its heavily armed military and police forces against Black South Africans.

The forced move on foot of 1.1 million Palestinians also has chilling and hideous echoes of previous genocides in the world.

The BDS Coalition demands that the South African government to force Israel to immediately rescind this horrific demand, to immediately cease the bombing, and to allow the UN to set up humanitarian corridors, field hospitals, and restore the water, food and electricity supply to Gaza.

The South African government must immediately cut all ties with Apartheid Israel, expel all diplomatic staff and issue arrest warrants for all South Africans serving in the Apartheid Israel army.

Immediate ceasefire now!

Allow humanitarian aid in immediately!

UN protection for Palestinians in Gaza now!

Issued by Ronnie Kasrils on behalf of BDS Coalition, 13 October 2023