SACP condemns apartheid Israel’s massacre of the Palestinian people
15 May 2018
The South African Communist Party (SACP) strongly condemns the continued genocide of the Palestinian people by the apartheid regime of Israel. On Monday 14 May 2018 approximately 60 working class oppressed people of Palestine were brutally murdered and thousands injured in yet another campaign by the apartheid regime of Israel to annihilate the Palestinian people and take over their entire land.
This is another stark reminder of the ongoing Israeli brutality against the indigenous Palestinians, which painfully reminds us of the darkest days of Apartheid in South Africa. Imperialism again has its dirty hand in stirring up conflict as its lobbyists continue to benefit from the arms trade. The SACP further condemns the provocation of United States President Donald Trump administration’s decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem. It is this decision that lies behind the latest round of the genocidal campaign directed at the Palestinian people by the apartheid regime of Israel.
The SACP welcomes our government’s decisiveness on taking action against Israeli apartheid – but more needs to be done! The Palestinians supported us, the formerly oppressed people of South Africa, during our struggle against oppression. It is today our internationalist duty to support them to achieve freedom from apartheid.
It is only fitting that South Africa withdraws our Ambassador to Israel permanently and implements the ANC’s 54th National Conference resolution, supported by the whole Alliance. South Africa must undertake an "immediate and unconditional downgrade of the SA embassy in Israel to a Liaison Office”, as the ANC resolution states.
The SACP will be joining the BDS and Palestine solidarity movements at today's #FreePalestine protest in Cape Town which will be addressed by the leadership of the SACP among others.
The SACP reiterates its support for the United Nations’ resolutions on ending the occupation of Palestinian land by Israel, and for a two state solution with an independent and sovereign Palestine on the contiguous borders of 1969 and East Jerusalem as its capital.
Issued by Alex Mohobetswane Mashilo, National Spokesperson, SACP, 15 May 2018
