On the 8th May 2008, the embassy of Israeli in South Africa will be celebrating 60 years of “independence”. An invitation has been sent to the General Secretary Dr. Blade Nzimande. The Israeli ambassador who is the invitee, is pretty much oblivious of our views on the issue of the significance of these celebration, which in the light of the continued criminal occupation, has imposed extremely huge suffering on the Palestinians.
Just to sum up our views that we stated on countless occasions, including through an open letter to His Excellency Ambassador Ilan Baruch.
1. Israel is remains an apartheid state that pursues racists, oppressive and genocidal policies and practices towards the Palestinians in defiance of UN resolutions and international law, to cease the occupation, decolonize all Palestinian territories and allows for the peaceful coexistence of the Israeli and Palestinian people.
2. Contrary to its claims of commitment to “peace, prosperity and security, together with Palestinian neighbours and the Arab states in the Middle East, it is a regional gendarme state in the Middle East, which has harmonized its objectives to leading imperialist circles, to bring more wars, militarism, violence, torture and anti-democratic repression and whose actions are sanctioned and propped up by billions of military and other forms of aid from its US-led imperialist masters.
3. The so-called Independence celebrations are a serious indictment on Israel for the grave social, political and humanitarian consequences of the occupation.
4. They also mark dispossession, colonialism and occupation enforced through criminal activities of murder, torture, banishment of millions of Palestinian refugees, settlements expansion and the creation of tiny Palestinian Bantustans prisons.
The SACP supports the right of Palestinians to self determination and the creation of an independent sovereign state within the pre 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital, including the right of return of all the Palestinian refugees.
To wine and dine with their Zionist occupiers will be tantamount to a serious betrayal of the people of Palestine to freedom and democratic equality to pursue a dignified life in conditions of total decolonization and freedom.
In this regard, we openly reject this invitation and wish to reiterate our full solidarity and support of the right of the Palestinians to self-determination and an independent sovereign state.
We will work with all peace loving Israelis and the South African Jewish community and conscientious objectors in Israel to coordinate actions of solidarity for the Palestinians and to defeat the racist apartheid ideology of Zionism.
Forward to freedom for the Palestinians Forward!
Issued by the SACP
For information contact:
Malesela Maleka
SACP Spokesperson – 082 226 1802
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