02 April 2001
After 50 years of apartheid and six months of genocide at the hands of Israel, the people of Palestine asked the Security Council of the United Nations to send an international observer force to protect civilians in the occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza from Israeli firepower.
On 27 March 2001, the US used its veto power to stop the UN Security Council from adopting such a resolution. The vote was 9 to 1 with 4 abstentions and Ukraine not voting. In favour were Bangladesh, Colombia, Jamaica, Mali, Mauritius, Singapore, Tunisia, Russia and China. Abstaining were Britain, France, Ireland and Norway.
The South African Communist Party (SACP) will send a protest letter to the US embassy in South Africa about this veto and the role of the US government in supporting state of Israeli whose policies and actions amount to apartheid and state terrorism.
The US negotiated intensely for a resolution that would not commit the council to any specific action without the agreement of Israel. The US veto on this resolution indicates, once more, the urgent need to bring to an end to the role of the US as the sole mediator of the Israeli-Palestine negotiations process. The SACP calls for the UN and other international bodies to be the main mediators in this process.
As if motivated by this US veto, the Israeli state has increased its military and propaganda war against Palestinians in the last 6 days. The SACP condemns this unprovoked escalation of violence by Israel.
The goal of the Palestinian people is the implementation of UN resolutions on ending Israeli occupation, the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, and securing the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes in Israel. The SACP supports these legitimate goals and the resumption of meaningful Israeli-Palestine negotiations in order to achieve these goals.
Further, the SACP calls on all progressive forces in South Africa, including the South African government, and the world as a whole to protest to the US government and its representatives about the role of the US government in support of the apartheid state of Israeli.
CONTACT
Mazibuko K. Jara (surname Jara)
Tel:011 339-3621/2
Fax: 27 11 339-4244
Cell: 083 651 0271
Email: sacp1@wn.apc.org