PRESS RELEASE
NO EMBARGO
27 September 2024
AlJama-ah raises concerns over South Africa’s lack of commitment to impose economic ties on apartheid Israel:
AlJama-ah Party says it is deeply concerned over the South African government’s lack of political will to pursue breaking economic ties with the Zionist Israel identity for its illegal occupation of Palestine and ongoing genocide.
Whilst Israel is a rogue apartheid state, democratic South Africa is signatory to the ‘International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid. ’As a former nation that was a victim of apartheid, we find it most disturbing that the SA government persists in having commercial connections with this demonic government, that has no respect for international law.
More so the unashamedly weak reply from the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Hon. Parks Franklyn Mpho Tau to a written submission by the party’s MP Adv Shameemah Salie; the latter questioned him about the country’s trade with the Zionist state (See Annexure).
For South Africa to continue trading with this rogue state is unacceptable; this is mainly so, in the light of this heartless government ’s systematic violations of human rights.
“The Zionist entity is horrendously carrying out a genocide of more than 41 000 Palestinians and yet South Africa is choosing to: “not violate the World Trade Organisation (WTO) principle of non-discrimination and would open the country to legal challenge”.”Despite widespread and persistent condemnation of the Zionist state’s egregious disregard for the international community with the support of the USA, UK, and members of the European Union, South Africa is irrationally putting its membership to the neoliberal WTO first by implication, it snubs its own cause and thus fails to act in accordance with its own universal values and history.
We call on South Africa to take strong heed of the firm stance that have been taken by South American countries such as Columbia and Bolivia. These South American nation-states are also members of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and WTO; but unlike South Africa adopted clear admirable positions. So far, they have countered the Zionist state’s disgraceful acts against the beleaguered Palestinians.
AlJama-ah further questions our government’s reluctance to act on the following concerns raised; it has gone against the gains that former Minister Naledi Pandor made whilst she led that ministry.
It asks why the government has up until now
● failed to close the Israeli embassy;
● Opted not to investigate educational institutions such as Herzlia High School that has publicly declared that the school encourages/prepares matrics to join the Zionist Israeli Defence Force;
● Ignored calls from pro-Palestine civil rights organisations to arrest and strip South Africans guilty of serving in the IDF from SA citizenship; and
● Disregarded the banning of the South African Zionist Federation that is publicly complicit in the genocide.
“The argument that South Africa must adhere to WTO protocols while ignoring Zionist Israel’s transgressions, is not only illogical but also embeds further atrocities on the global stage. We call on the South African government to recognize its moral and ethical obligation to stand against the pariah apartheid state. South Africa, with its painful history of apartheid and colonialism, should be at the forefront of the Boycott, disinvestment, and Sanctions campaign against this despicable Zionist entity,” says Salie.
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