26 January 2023
The South African BDS Coalition is outraged by the massacre in Jenin today. Nine Palestinians, including a 60-year-old woman, were murdered in cold blood during an early morning invasion by Israeli occupation forces. Another 20 people were wounded, four remain in a critical condition. Tear gas canisters were also fired at the Jenin Government Hospital, suffocating patients, including children, and ambulances were hindered from attending to the injured.
Today’s slaughter by apartheid Israel’s occupation forces also included a young man in Al Ram, occupied Jerusalem, bringing the total of Palestinians killed by the colonial Zionist Israeli occupation forces to 30 since the start of this year. More than one Palestinian has been killed for each day of this year!
The impunity with which apartheid Israel carries out ethnic cleansing cannot be allowed to continue. This is an ongoing war crime that is openly celebrated by members of the apartheid Israeli government. Almog Cohen, a parliamentarian from the Jewish Power Party of National Minister of Security, Itmar Ben-Gvir, today praised the murderous occupation forces for their massacre, referring to it as “nice and professional work” and urging that they “keep killing them”.
The United Nations Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Francesca Albanese, has expressed alarm at today’s massacre and called for the immediate deployment of an “international protective presence” in the Palestinian territory to protect Palestinians from the murderous Israeli forces.
South Africa has a political and ethical duty to sever all ties with apartheid Israel, including diplomatic and economic relations. It is completely immoral for a post-apartheid South Africa to continue diplomatic, sporting, cultural and trade relations with an apartheid state.
How many more Palestinians must be murdered before South Africa and the international community implement measures to isolate apartheid Israel? How many more massacres will it take before South Africa and the international community end their protection of the Zionist colonial and apartheid occupiers? Words are useless without actions towards full sanctions and an arms embargo against this pariah state.
We demand:
That South Africa cuts diplomatic relations with apartheid Israel and calls for a sporting, cultural and academic boycott of apartheid Israel by South African institutions.
The National Prosecuting Authority takes urgent action to prosecute South Africans who join the Israeli occupation forces in contravention of the South African Foreign Military Assistance Act. The numerous dockets detailing the mercenary role of some South Africans must be investigated and the perpetrators prosecuted.
South Africa proposes a resolution in the UN General Assembly to reinstate the anti-apartheid mechanisms to move towards international sanctions and an arms embargo against apartheid Israel.
All South Africans must take action! Boycott companies complicit in Israeli apartheid, join the global campaign to #Boycott PUMA, sponsor of the apartheid Israeli Football Association.
Our message to all South African institutions, organisations and companies that have ties to apartheid Israel is that you have blood on your hands. End your complicity with Israeli apartheid now!
For more information please contact:
Roshan Dadoo: 082 816 2799
Mahfouz Raffee: 072 060 2276
Humairaa Mayat: 073 373 4077
