Download PDFThe popular interest in the war in Israel against the Palestinian people has gone viral as the videos are being posted on different social media platforms, showing the brutal use of force by the government of Israel to remove the people of Palestine from their lands.
On 11 October 2023, a group of Palestinians gathered outside the United States Embassy in Sandton City, Johannesburg, as they demonstrated with pickets. Asking the US government to stop enabling Israel in killing innocent people.
Many different organisations from South Africa came to support the people of Palestine in the picket, including children. Pleading to stop killings as more than 200 children were killed during the attack in Gaza, leaving many others seriously injured. According to different sources, healthcare facilities were bombarded leaving just one hospital in Gaza which is now full of injured people without any proper medication.
The demonstration of pickets started around 3:30 pm when all indigenous people gathered in Sandton City singing revolutionary songs and were later addressed by two Palestinian refugees. The Palestinians explained how they managed to run away from their home country and an ANC member gave a speech of support to the Palestinian people.
While the demonstration was ongoing, an Israeli official, of a regime that is insulting and killing innocent people, was seen at the picket and was chased away by a group of angry Palestinians.
Apart from the insult, nothing dramatic happened, the demonstration continued and was a success.
In an interview with Karibu!, a member of the Sisonke Revolutionary Movement, who took part in the demonstration of pickets, Ongeziwe Ndevu, said, “I am a mother of four; [that being] three girls and one boy. So, for me, l understand why they are so angry. I mean how sad or horrible would it be watching your kids killed in front of you. Without anything, you could do rather than run. Not to even to mention that these very people are also being forced out of their country by Israel, which is an illegal thing to do. What is [the] International Crime Court doing about this kind of crime.”
She continued, “This is what we mean when we say we are still under apartheid, how can they keep quiet after so many years? It’s not that they didn’t know what was happening, they knew very well yet they acted like everything is perfect because they are not the ones who are affected by all this. So, l say to the people of Palestine, fight for what is yours as we also fought for our country to get back to us as South Africans. You are not alone in this war.”
This conflict has been ongoing since 1948, with bloodshed during demonstration and marches, in a bid to have their rights respected. They live in their country under the rule of Israel but Palestinians are treated more like slaves than citizens in their own country of birth.
It is appalling how other countries watch and keep silent while innocent women and children are being brutally killed. The military of Israel is taking advantage of their powerful army to force people into exile, telling them to leave everything behind and go otherwise there will be more bloodshed.
Apartheid era exists in Israel. Otherwise why not sit down and come up with solutions rather than killing innocent people and children? After years of being treated as slaves fighting against inequality, unemployment, and other serious issues, Palestinians are trying to find ways to be free. All they are fighting for is to be recognised as full citizens and not as slaves in their own country.
At the moment, many of them still live in refugee camps. The question of how their situation should be resolved remains.
This article is an opinion piece submitted on 20 October 2023. The views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect those of Karibu! Online or Khanya College. You may republish this article, so long as you credit the authors and Karibu! Online (www.Karibu.org.za), and do not change the text. Please include a link back to the original article.
