29 November 2001
On this United Nation's International Day of Solidarity with Palestine, the South African Communist Party (SACP) expresses full solidarity with the people of Palestine and their liberation struggle.
During this International Day of Solidarity, the SACP reiterates its calls, also made by a wide range of other organisations internationally, for increased international attention and pressure on Israeli aggression against Palestine.
It is more than 14 months now since the current Palestinian Intifada started. Since then the Israeli army has killed more than 1000 Palestinians under the pretext of self-defence.
Israeli has been able to behave in this manner partly because of the role played by the United States of America in the Israeli-Palestine negotiations process.
The SACP calls for an international observer force to be sent to Palestine in order to ensure the exposure of the atrocities committed by Israel against Palestinians. The SACP also calls for the ending of the monopoly of the US in the Israeli-Palestine negotiations through a neutral international mediating body in order to ensure the speedy implementation of long-standing UN resolutions on ending Israeli occupation, the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, and the right of Palestinian refugees to return to Israel.
The SACP calls on all South Africans and all democrats in the world to use this day and the next year to increase their solidarity in support of the Palestinian freedom struggle. In this regard, the SACP fully supports the campaign started by Comrade Ronnie Kasrils (a member of the SACP Politburo and Minister of Water and Forestry Affairs) to mobilise ordinary people from the Jewish community in South Africa to express their solidarity with Palestine and condemn the actions of Israel.
CONTACT
Mazibuko K. Jara (surname Jara)
Department of Media, Information and Publicity
South African Communist Party
Tel - 011 339-3621/2
Fax - 27 11 339-4244
Cell - 083 651 0271
Email - sacp1@wn.apc.org