[DEBATE] : Zwelinzima Vavi's address to Gaza solidarity rally

[Salim Vally]

COSATU General Secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi's address to Lenasia Rally in
solidarity with the people of Gaza, 14th January 2009

From our own experience, we know how painful and dehumanising is the
system of segregation, otherwise known as apartheid. Apartheid is a
system based on the assumption that one group or race is superior to
others and therefore has a right to all the privileges and virtues
associated with that particular status. It has a right to run and
determine the lives of others, excluding them from certain privileges,
merely because they do not belong to the "chosen" group. 

What other definition would so fittingly define a system based on
different rights and privileges for Jews and Arabs in the Middle East?
The bantustanisation of Palestine into pieces or strips - West Bank,
Ramallah, Gaza strip and so on - run by Israel and with no rights
whatsoever for the Palestinians, is definitely an apartheid system. 

Israel occupied the land of the Palestinian people and created settler
communities of Jews who enjoy a different lifestyle and privileges than
those experienced by Palestinians. Palestinians are packed like Sardines
in a tin throughout the Bantustans, with Gaza being acknowledged as the
world's biggest open-air prison.

The prime characteristics of apartheid in South Africa included:

*        Segregation of the country into highly developed whites-only
areas co-existing with extremely under-developed black communities,
where the majority lived with no or limited rights and access to basic
facilities;

*        The black majority had no rights to freely participate and
determine their destiny without the supervision of the superior race,
which made all the decisions and enforced them through a highly
militarised state machinery;

*        The country was further balkanised into various Bantustans -
Bophuthatswana, Kwangwane, Kwandebele, Venda, Transkei, KwaZulu, Ciskei,
etc. - which were partitioned in such a way that within the same country
you needed a passport to travel from one Bantustan to the other. In
between these Bantustans was South Africa, a land foreign to all blacks
but firmly in the hands of white supremacists

What is the situation in Palestine today?

*        The country is segregated into highly developed settler
communities of Jews, on the one hand, and extremely poor and
under-developed Arab communities, where the people have no or limited
rights and access to basic facilities, with Gaza being the most evident
of these.

*        The Palestinian people cannot freely determine their own
affairs and run their own country, for it is occupied by a colonial
power called Israel.

*        The country is further balkanised into various Bantustans,
amongst them, West Bank, Gaza, and Ramallah, which are connected through
extremely restricted travel access over Israel. 

It because of these similarities between today's Israel and our past
that we call the Israeli state an apartheid state.

Ordinary people in the West Bank, in Al-Quds Al-Sharif and in the Gaza
Strip, have suffered enough under Israeli occupation. The settlements,
the separation wall, the hundreds of checkpoints and the detention of
over 11,000 Palestinian people in Israeli jails are just some of
unbearable conditions that prevail in Gaza. 

It is our firm belief that, like all other suffering, colonised,
oppressed and subjugated peoples all over the world, Palestinians are
not naturally a violent people. They are not provocative, but they have
the right to resist when provoked and subjected to the most cruel and
barbaric forms of occupation and invasion. They need to restore their
pride and dignity, and regain their disposed lands. We support these
claims unconditionally. We too suffered in defence of exactly the claims
in the hands of ruthless sister forces to the Zionists who occupy
Palestine. Resistance must never be equated to provocation. 

In the same way that the ANC-led liberation movement here in South
Africa refused to submit to the most extreme form of invasion and
subjugation, but fought with all means at our disposal, why should the
Palestinian people be denied that right? In fact, a colonised people who
do not fight for their freedom are not worth the honourable status of
belonging to the family of human beings. This is why the Palestinian
people are correct to fight for their freedom. However, in fighting for
their freedom, they are called all sorts of names, just as we were also
called all sorts of names, and the best known one is "terrorists". 

Which freedom fighter has never had that label, when even our own heroic
son of the soil, Dr Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela has only just recently
been removed from the list of terrorists in the US? It seems to have
become an honour for anyone fighting for freedom to be called a
terrorist. Just next door to us in Swaziland, PUDEMO President, Mario
Masuku is in jail on charges of terrorism, merely for fighting for the
rights of his people.

However, that should not divert the issue and all sorts of distortions
about the reality and facts in the Middle East. The aggressor is the
coloniser, in this case Israel, who forcefully invaded the land of other
people and took away their land, what other option, was left for those
disposed people (Palestinians) than to resist and fight for their land,
and that is what exactly the people of Palestine are doing. 

The hypocritical equal apportionment of condemnation to both the
aggressor and victim is dishonest and not fair. There is no neutrality
in a struggle; the occupying and oppressive force is immoral and the
resisting force has the moral responsibility to fight for freedom. This
however does not mean there are no limits and responsibilities for those
fighting freedom to observe, of course.

We have noted this chorus of the equal condemnation of the aggressor and
the victim. Even those who are supposed to be progressive have been
blackmailed to toe this line of equal condemnation. Israel uses brute
force and violence to enforce its illegal occupation of Palestine. 

The Palestinian people have been left with no option but to resist the
occupation of their land and the dehumanisation and denial of their
rights. Does this mean both are equally liable for the breaking of the
truce that was also not guaranteeing them their freedom, but maintaining
them in conditions of injustice and occupation? The truce is important,
but does it change the fact that the struggle for freedom continues and
that injustice still prevails in Palestine?

Just by simply closing the Gaza Strip, frustrating the movement of
people and goods, limiting the flow of gas and electricity, destroying
the sewage system, Israel has turned the Strip into a zone of permanent
hell. Regular outbursts of direct military violence and response by
Palestinians that have recurred at least once a year since 2002
("Operation Defence Shield") multiply victims but do not change the
basic fact of Israeli occupation and brutality. 

And the assault will seek to annihilate that population. And whichever
man, woman, child, or elderly person that manages to escape or hide from
the predictably bloody assault will later be "hunted" so that the
cleansing is complete and the commanders in charge of the operation can
report to their superiors: "We've completed the mission."

And then, from up there above, they will write about the Palestinians'
violent nature and they'll make declarations condemning that violence
and they'll get back to discussing if it's Zionism or anti-Semitism. 

While many people may believe that the current violence in Gaza began on
December 27, in fact Palestinians have been dying from bombardments for
many weeks. On November 4, when the Israeli-Palestinian truce was still
in effect but global attention was turned to the US elections, Israel
launched a "pre-emptive" air strike on Gaza, alleging intelligence about
an imminent operation to capture Israeli soldiers. More assaults took
place throughout the month.

It is estimated that 400,000 people, most of them in Gaza city, do not
have
access to piped water. It is reported that sewage is flooding into the
streets as the result of the damage to the sewage network. Gaza city
wastewater treatment plant was hit

While the Israeli cheerleaders testified to the superior moral fibre of
their team, the Palestinian civilian death toll mounted. Reports confirm
that Israeli missiles tore at least fifteen Palestinian police cadets to
shreds at a graduation ceremony, blew twelve worshipers to pieces
(including six children) while they left evening prayers at a mosque,
flattened the elite American International School, killed five sisters
while they slept in their beds, and liquidated nine women and children
in order to kill a single Hamas leader. 

So far, Israeli forces have killed at least 900 people from Gaza and
wounded some several thousands, including hundreds of children.
Yesterday, the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) blanketed parts of Gaza with
white phosphorus, a chemical weapon Saddam Hussein once deployed against
Kurdish rebels.

A new word emerged from the carnage in Gaza this week: "scholasticide" -
the systematic destruction by Israeli forces of centres of education
dear to Palestinian society, as the Ministry of Education was bombed,
the infrastructure of teaching destroyed, and schools across the Gaza
strip targeted for attack by the air, sea and ground offensives.

We are deeply troubled by the immoral position adopted by the South
African Jewish Board of Deputies, the South African Zionist Federation
and the Chief Rabbi, Warren Goldstein, on the current atrocities in
Gaza. They continue to justify the aggression in all sorts of jargons,
masking the true character of the human crisis and suffering inflicted
daily on the people of Palestine.

We also note that mainstream media continues to stigmatise the
legitimate struggles of the resisting people, preferring to call it in
all sorts of words - terrorism, attack, etc.

We salute and welcome the ever growing movement of Jews and Israelis who
are beginning to speak out boldly against the genocide carried out in
the name of the Israeli people by a few warmongers and their US allies
in the conservative elite ruling the US. 

The International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN) is one of those
organisations or network of Jews whose Jewish identities are not based
on Zionism but on a plurality of histories and experiences.  According
to their own declaration, they share a commitment to participation in
the legacy of struggles against colonisation and imperialism.  As such,
they struggle against Zionism and its manifestation in the State of
Israel's historic and ongoing ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people
and the confiscation of their land.

US complicity in the genocide

Israel is the biggest recipient of US aid, roughly estimated at around
$32 billion[1] per annum. No doubt, the bulk of this amount is used for
military purposes and protecting Israel's imperial posture in the Middle
East in pursuit of its position as the US client state in that part of
the world responsible for defending its strategic and economic
interests. Military and strategic co-operation between the two states
run deeper than imagined.

According to recent reports the Pentagon plans to make a large arms
delivery to Israel, raising fears that the military campaign in Gaza
will go on for a long time. 

The US is trying to hire a merchant ship that can carry hundreds of tons
of weapons from Greece to Israel later this month, Reuters reported,
citing tender documents it had obtained. 

According to the US Navy's Military Sealift Command (MSC), the ship will
transport 325 standard 20-foot containers of what has been called
'ammunition' from the Greek port of Astakos to the Israeli port of
Ashdod on two separate trips in the second half of January. 

A description on the manifest says the containers will be loaded with
'hazardous material', such as explosive substances and detonators,
without giving any more details. 

The Pentagon announced the tender for the ship in the last hours of
2008. The two deadlines set for the deliveries are January 25 and the
last day of the month. 

Meanwhile, a Pentagon spokesman confirmed the planned arms shipment to
Israel, but denied that the delivery was linked to the Israel's deadly
offensive in Gaza. 

In September, the US Congress approved a plan to sell Israel 1,000
bunker-buster bombs, of the Guided Bomb Unit-39 (GBU-39), that use GPS
to find their way and are able to penetrate deep fortified
constructions, such as Iran's nuclear facilities. 

Last week, The Jerusalem Post, reported that the first shipment of the
missiles arrived in early December, adding that the bombs had been used
in the military onslaught in Gaza. 

Palestine is bleeding, lamenting is a luxury and action is long overdue!

We support and encourage the Boycott, Disinvestment, and Sanction (BDS)
efforts against Israel around the world. 

We ask the newly elected US President, Barack Obama to indeed live true
to his promise for real change, of which US foreign policy should be one
of the key focus areas. In this regard, we call on him to stop U.S aid
to Israel.  This becomes not only necessary but also a duty of
international solidarity, which should be the priority action point
among labour unions around the world.  

We also call upon all and everyone to be an active player in raising
funds and all the material resources to meet the bare necessities of
food, medicine, and medical supplies for the people.

The utter disregard for international law by Israel and its contempt for
UN resolutions further confirm the need for the restructuring and
transformation of this super global governance institution to meet the
challenges of the 21st century. Its relevance as a custodian of global
peace and security is in question. So is its legitimacy to resolve
disputes and set standards for global governance. 

However, we welcome the decision of the UN Human Rights Council despite
US attempts to frustrate its efforts towards condemning Israel.

We are putting forward the following issues for a way forward:

1.	All trade unions, social movements, NGOs, religious
organisations and academics to support and actively participate in the
BDS campaign against Israel, refusing to handle anything that comes from
and that goes to Israel in order to isolate it until it submits to
international law and withdraws from all the occupied territories

2.	We urge all companies and all shipping companies to refuse to
carry any shipment of arms to Israel. Any shipping company who carries
these weapons has the blood of the people of Gaza on its hands!
3.	We call upon all governments to enforce international law, by
refusing to recognise a country that makes a mockery of international
law and the pursuit of human dignity. In this regard, they must expel
Israeli ambassadors and representatives in order to ensure that we
isolate it throughout the world until it subscribes to the ideals of
human dignity! In this case, we salute the bold example of Venezuela and
call upon all countries to emulate it.
4.	We call upon international media to expose the real truth behind
the war and not to hide the real issues in the name of objectivity, by
projecting an image of Israel as a state under siege by terrorist, thus
discrediting the legitimate resistance of the Palestinian people.
Balanced reporting does not mean, massaging issues and diluting the
truth even in the face of insurmountable evidence against the wrong
side.
5.	We call upon the international trade union movement to emulate
the heroic example of the Norwegian Locomotive Drivers Union, which on
Thursday 8th January ensured that all trains in the whole of Norway, and
all trams and subways in Oslo, stood still for two minutes in protest
against Israeli invasion. In the process, they issued the following
information for passengers: "Because of the situation in the Gaza Strip,
the Locomotive Drivers Union in Norway has decided to demonstrate our
solidarity with the Palestinian people. This will be organised by adding
two more minutes of stoppage at the station. The same action applies to
all passenger trains in Norway simultaneously. We demand the immediate
withdrawal of all Israeli troops from the Palestinian territory. Thank
you for your understanding". This is very inspiring coming from Europe
where the tendency even amongst progressives is to be apologetic about
Israel and condemn the Palestinian struggle as acts of terrorism
6.	We call for particular focus on targeting the conservative US
and British foreign policies, which requires that we work with our
counterpart unions and progressive organisations in these countries to
effect radical foreign policy changes in relation to the Middle East.
This should include exposing the complicit role of these two states in
perpetuating the violence and arming Israel, while rhetorically
positioning themselves as anti-terrorists.
7.	We acknowledge the progressive role of our government in
relation to the situation in the Middle East, including its humanitarian
support for the suffering people of Gaza, but believe that there is a
lot more we can do working together. In this instance, we call for the
cessation of all trade relations with Israel.
8.	The Arab League must be brought under pressure to act in
solidarity with the Palestinian people and limit the chances of some
states openly collaborating with Israel, but to lead the global
offensive for the isolation of Israel, owing to their strategic
proximity in that area.

Once again, the global solidarity movement must be intensified to
support the cause of the suffering people of Palestine, even more so
with the crisis in Gaza. A day more under occupation is hell for the
dispossessed people.



Patrick Craven (National Spokesperson)

Congress of South African Trade Unions

1-5 Leyds Cnr Biccard Streets

Braamfontein, 2017

 

P.O. Box 1019

Johannesburg, 2000

SOUTH AFRICA

 

Tel: +27 11 339-4911/24

Fax: +27 11 339-5080/6940/ 086 603 9667

Cell: 0828217456

E-Mail: patrick at cosatu.org.za

 




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[1] Al Jazeera



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