Palestine Conference calls for true and meaningful liberation
7 December 2023
The Media Review Network (MRN) fully endorses the call for true and meaningful liberation expressed at the recently concluded Fifth Global Convention of Solidarity with Palestine held in Johannesburg.
The conference themed: Nelson Mandela and Palestine: Confronting Racism till Liberation, was named as such since Mandela championed the struggles of Palestine, was held from 3-5 December to coincide with the 10th anniversary of Madiba’s passing.
Madiba's now famous quote that "we know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians", was echoed by many speakers during the joint opening session.
Addressing delegates, Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Chief Mandla Mandela, said the occasion was entrenched in an unshakable belief that Palestinians have the absolute right to the land of their forefathers using all available means, including the armed resistance.
Delegates discussed everyday mechanisms to challenge the crimes of the settler coloniser all over Historic Palestine; how to reinforce international solidarity in the wake of #OperationAlAqsaFlood; the responsibility of international law and human rights bodies and how to challenge the restrictions of mainstream and social media on Palestinian content.
Conference participants were unanimous in their assertion that Palestine is suffering under the triple bondage of imperialism, racism and Zionist settler colonialism for 75 years and therefore the armed struggle currently being waged by the Resistance in Gaza is justified as per international law.
Of particular importance was the clarion call for true and meaningful liberation for Palestine from the Jordanian River to the Mediterranean Sea, a call that embodies the one-state solution called for by indigenous Palestinians and the inalienable right of return for over the seven million refugees and their descendants displaced during the 1948 Nakba.
Chief Mandela called upon President Cyril Ramaphosa to abandon the two-state delusion in favour of a single democratic state for all indigenous peoples of Palestine.
“We want to call on His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa to abandon the thoughts of Bantustan-type solution to Palestine, abandon separate development, racism and apartheid in occupied Palestine”, he said.
He added that they will not rest “until victory falls on the people of Palestine”. “Palestine shall be free from the river to the sea”.
Heart wrenching testimony was provided by the parents of martyr Mohammed Abu Khdeir. Khdeir, a 16-year-old Palestinian, was kidnapped and burnt alive in Jerusalem during the morning of 2 July 2014.
One of the highlights of the conference was the attendance of senior members of the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas. The delegation included politburo member Bassem Naim, Hamas representative in Iran, Khaled Qaddoumi and Hamas representative in East, Central and Southern Africa, Emad Saber.
Media Review Network members had the privilege of holding fruitful discussions with members of the Resistance on the sidelines of the conference, especially related to present Zionist genocide on the besieged Gaza Strip.
We can report back to South Africans that the Resistance efforts against the Zionist oppressor are in excellent and capable hands despite the immense human suffering being endued on the ground.
Palestinians fully understand the cost of liberation at all levels. “I am filled with pride and glory to be a son of the heroic Gaza City, which has openly declared its willingness to sacrifice and for martyrdom for our sincere national objectives, and, indeed, for the salvation of humanity from the brutal Zionist entity,” Dr. Naim said.
He added that the current situation in Gaza has two faces. First, there is the face of courage – the legendary resilience of the Palestinian people, steadfast in their determination to sacrifice and stick to their land and homeland. Supporting the people’s strong desire for justice and liberation are the Palestinian fighters, bravely facing the Zionist-American military machine and inflicting significant losses upon them.
The other face is the sombre humanitarian catastrophe being sadistically executed on Gaza by the Zionist terror forces over the past 60 days.
Dr. Naim also explained that the 7th of October operation remains a critical and distinguishing revolutionary breakthrough in the history of the Palestinian struggle against the Zionist settler occupation and carries the potential for its defeat.
“It’s a testament that a besieged people with limited resources managed to defeat a regional state with a massive army, huge intelligence-gathering capacity, and some of the most sophisticated military and surveillance technology in the world,” he said.
The Media Review Network unapologetically supports the armed resistance against the Zionist settler coloniser and calls upon everyone to do the same.
Issued by Ahmed Haroon Jazbhay, Executive Member, Media Review Network, 7 December 2023
