February 27, 2010
South African leaders on Israel and Apartheid
"But we know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians. " (1)
Nelson Mandela
"I've been very deeply distressed in my visit to the Holy Land; it reminded me so much of what happened to us black people in South Africa. I have seen the humiliation of the Palestinians at checkpoints and roadblocks, suffering like us when young white police officers prevented us from moving about." (2)
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
"When I hear, 'that used to be my home', it is painfully similar to the treatment in South Africa when coloureds had no rights". (3)
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Israel came to resemble more and more apartheid South Africa at its zenith - even surpassing its brutality, house demolitions, removal of communities, targeted assassinations, massacres, imprisonment and torture of its opponents, collective punishment and the aggression against neighbouring states. (4)
Former South African Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils from a speech at Israel Apartheid Week 2009
"But what is interesting is that every black South African that I've spoken to who has visited the Palestinian territory has been horrified and has said without hesitation that the system that applies in Palestine is worse." (5)
Professor John Dugard, Former U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Occupied Palestine
The horrendous dehumanisation of Black South Africans during the erstwhile Apartheid years is a Sunday picnic, compared with what I saw and what I know is happening to the Palestinian people. (6) Willie Madisha, former head of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)
"As someone who lived in apartheid South Africa and who has visited Palestine I say with confidence that Israel is an apartheid state. In fact, I believe that some of Israel's actions make the actions of South Africa's apartheid regime appear pale by comparison." (7)
Willie Madisha, in a letter supporting CUPE Ontario's resolution.
I say with confidence that Israel is an Apartheid state. The trade union movement must move beyond resolutions, otherwise history will look back on us and spit on our graves. (8)
Willie Madisha, at a trade union conference held in London, England.
"Indeed, for those of us who lived under South African Apartheid and fought for liberation from it and everything that it represented, Palestine reflects in many ways the unfinished business of our own struggle. " ( 9 )
Farid Esack, Writer, Visiting Professor at Harvard and Anti-apartheid Spokesperson
"They support Zionism, a version of global racist domination and apartheid based on the doctrine that Jews are superior to Arabs and therefore have a right to oppress them and occupy their country." ( 10 )
Current COSATU President, Sidumo Dlamini
1 http://www.anc. org.za/ancdocs/ history/mandela/ 1997/sp971204b. html
2 http://www.guardian .co.uk/world/ 2002/apr/ 29/comment
3 http://www.commondr eams.org/ archive/2007/ 10/29/4872
4 http://www.bdsmovem ent.net/? q=node/347
5 http://www.thejerus alemfund. org/ht/d/ ContentDetails/ i/5240/pid/ 223
6 http://www.palestin ecampaign. org/files/ 0802apartheid- factsheetFINAL. pdf
7 http://palsolidarit y.org/2006/ 06/1228
8 http://www.palestin ecampaign. org/images/ Confrep2006. pdf
9 http://www.sendames sage.nl/the- longest-letter/ lightwindow. cfm?page= openletter_ eng
10 http://www.cosatu. org.za/speeches/ 2009/sd20090326. htm
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