Durban — Amid the growing pressure for a ceasefire in the long-running war between Israel and Palestine, pro-Palestine marches were held in Durban from Friday until Sunday.
Scores of pro-Palestine allies picketed in Durban’s North Beach on Sunday in protests that started on Friday with public clashes between Palestine and Israeli supporters.
Dubbed “The year to witness the Year of Genocide”, the campaign’s Lubna Nadvi said: “October 7 2024 marks one year since members of the anti-occupation movement in the Palestinian territory of Gaza engaged in a powerful act of resistance against their ongoing occupation and siege by breaking through a physical barricade imposed on them by apartheid Israel.
“It also tragically marks the intensifying of a brutal genocide against the people of Gaza which Israel has been carrying out with impunity and financial support from countries like the USA and Britain over the last year,” said Nadvi an academic and activist.
The South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) hit back, condemning what it termed the “false claims of genocide.”
The marches were held amid the rising tensions in the Middle East, with pro-Palestine marchers holding a banner and placard painting on Friday in Berea.
On Saturday, a mass march was held in uMhlanga, north of Durban.
On Sunday, a motorcade snaked along the Overport vicinity in a bid to highlight the plight of the Palestinians, who are under siege as Israeli forces hunt down Hamas “terrorists“.
Nadvi added: “As witnesses to this ongoing genocide, it is crucial that we as global citizens and South Africans come together for a powerful demonstration of solidarity to demand an end to the genocide, siege and occupation of the Palestinian people.
“As part of this Witness to a Year of Genocide campaign, we urge South Africans to remove all Israeli products from our shelves, support the International Week of Resisting Genocide and boycott anything that supports the apartheid state of Israel.”
It has been reported that more than 40 000 people have died – including children – as the battle between the warring opponents rages on.
“These are young and innocent lives that have been marked by the horrors of war, living under the constant threat of violence and death. As solidarity activists, we are proud of the diversity of our collective movement for Palestinian rights.”
She added: “We are people of all ages, races, ethnicities, and faiths, men, women, and children. We come together because we reject the idea that some lives are less valuable than others, standing against the ideology that denies rights to Palestinians while prioritising only Zionist Israelis. We advocate for universal principles of freedom and justice.”
The South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) hit back, condemning what it termed “false claims of genocide.”
“The South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) strongly condemns Saturday’s anti-Israel march in Cape Town (and in provinces) and unequivocally rejects its premise and purpose. This march, predicated on baseless accusations of genocide against Israel, not only propagates dangerous falsehoods but also trivialises genuine instances of genocide throughout history,” read a statement.
It added: “The SAZF vehemently rejects the march's call for sanctions against Israel. This demand should be dismissed with the contempt it deserves. The utter hypocrisy of this action is glaringly apparent. Those calling for sanctions against Israel, a democratic nation defending itself against terrorism, remain conspicuously silent on the actual human rights abuses and war crimes committed by Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organisations or the countries supporting them.”
This “selective outrage” not only undermined the credibility of the protesters but also exposed their true motives, said the organisation.
Spokesperson Rolene Marks, said: “The timing of this march, deliberately coinciding with the worldwide Jewish commemoration of the October 7th attacks, displays a callous disregard for the victims of Hamas' brutal assault. On that day, Hamas murdered over 1 200 innocent civilians and took 250 hostages, many of whom remain in captivity.”
She added: “This unprovoked attack represents the darkest day in Israeli history since the Holocaust, and SA Jewry should be left to commemorate it in a dignified manner, without a march insulting the victims of the attack and making false claims about Israel. While the Jewish people mourn in peace at various commemorative events, anti-Israeli groups protest and hurl insults at Israel”.
Amid the escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, South Africa, said it was “gravely concerned” about the continuing escalation of military action by the State of Israel on the State of Palestine and the Lebanese Republic.
“The continued occupation of Palestine has denied the Palestinian people their enshrined rights of self-determination and statehood, which remains a prerequisite to restoring peace and security in the region.
“South Africa calls on the international community and the United Nations Security Council, in particular, to address the spiralling conflict,” said Chrispin Phiri, spokesperson for the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
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