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South African Government Must Protect the People of Rafah, Palestine
C A P E T O W N The Cape Town Anti-War Coalition wants the South African government to take immediate action against the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians in Rafah by the State of Israel. We are asking the government to expel the Israeli ambassador from South Africa, and cut all trade and other diplomatic links with Israel. We are furthermore requesting that the South African government arrange an unarmed protection force of members of South African civil society to go to Rafah next week as witnesses to the Israeli atrocities and as human shields. All Anti-War Coalition members are available to go. The Anti-War Coalition supports the demonstration by the Palestine Solidarity group which will be held at the Spin street entrance to Parliament tomorrow (Friday 21st May 2004) from 10am to 12 noon. Thabo Mbeki’s address to the nation takes place at 11am. It is a disaster that the post-apartheid South African government through its trade and diplomatic links, continues to prop up the apartheid state of Israel, ten years into our democracy. Apartheid in South Africa was declared a crime against humanity, yet the South African government is standing by while Israel has embarked on genocide on a scale that far outstrips massacres carried out by the South African apartheid regime. The latest and horrific massacre includes Israel claiming the right to use missiles, tanks and machine-gun fire against peaceful demonstrations of largely women and children. The Anti-War Coalition believes that it is the diplomatic bungling by governments, including the South African government, that has contributed to the conditions allowing the latest massacre to take place. The South African government has called on "both sides" to end the "conflict", refusing to accept that Israel is the aggressor in that land using the third largest army to commit war crimes against the Palestinians. We also want to remind the government that six years ago it went against the advice of the anti-war movement and trade unions by rolling out the red carpet for the then Indonesian President Suharto, at the exact moment when he was committing massacres of thousands of East Timorese people. The oppressed people of the world, like the Palestinians, Iraqis and East Timorese should not have to struggle against the diplomatic manoevurings of the post-apartheid South African government in order to be free. ..../ends For comment in South Africa call 082 2020617 For comment from Rafah (add 09 before each number) –
http://www.miftah.org |