South Africa: Partition Was Tragic

Here's an excerpt from the statement by South African Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Nkosazana Zuma at the Commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, 29 November 2007.

On behalf of the people of South Africa, the Government of South Africa extends warm greetings to all Palestinians and to the Palestinian leadership on this occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Sixty years on, we gather to reflect particularly on UN General Assembly Resolution 194, stipulating the right of the Palestinian refugees to return to their homes, and 29 November 1947 – the Partition Plan – which set in motion a tragic chain of events that led to the dispossession of all but 22 percent of land remaining in the hands of the indigenous Palestinian people, by the armistice of 1949 the reign of terror led to the flight of 60 percent of Palestinian refugees, termed Al Naqba – the Catastrophe. Today, Palestinians have become less secure and less free in their own cities and villages, and the hopes of the refugees remain dreams.

You can read the full statement here.

Let’s remember what the UN partition was about. After centuries of oppression and persecution the Jewish nation was finally promised their historical homeland when the UN voted to partition the hotly contested British Palestine Mandate into two states – one Arab and one Jewish.

Instead of accepting the partition and agreeing to share the land, the Arabs waged war.

Already on the day after the vote Arabs opened fire on a Jewish bus, killing 5. The next day Arabs rioted in Jerusalem, leaving 7 Jews dead. In the weeks that followed, Jewish casualties rose into the hundreds.

In 1948, 5 Arab armies (Egypt, Syria, Transjordan, Iraq, and Labanon) invaded the fledgling Jewish state. Their intentions were declared by Azzam Pasha, Seretary-General of the Arab League: “This will be a war of extermination and a momentous massacre which will be spoken of like the Mongolian massacres and the Crusades.”

This level of rhetoric included in the Minister's statement is rarely employed by our government in its dealing with sovereign states. Mind you, when you dealing with a foreign policy that protects the likes of Sudan, Zimbabwe and Iran, perhaps it is better to be in the firing line than to be defended.

Comments

[Gary]

It is time for international pressure of world Jewry on South Africa (and I do not include far-left Israel-hating, terror-loving quislings in this category)economically and on all other fronts, to give up their jihad against Isreal and suport for terror.

Let world Jewry (minus the quisling) exert economic muscle on SA.

[TC]

What is "world Jewry"? And what is its "economic muscle"? And what are its "other fronts"?

I'm afraid it's usually antisemites who dream up such things, and I'd hardly place my faith in them.

We might, of course, encourage Jews around the world to speak out for truth and justice, and against bigots like Hamas.

Also remember that our destiny is not ultimately in their hands: a silent prayer is more powerful than all the lies and hatred spouted by the enemies of Israel.

[Ariel]

What I find especially worrying is that the Minister didn't even get what resolution 104 says about refugees correct.

It does not specifically mention Palestinian refugees but all refugees of the 1948 war including those Jews expelled or who fled from the neighbouring countries.