The South African Communist Party (SACP) issued a statement strongly condemning the Israeli decision to deny entry visas to South Africa’s Minister of Higher Education and Training, South African Communist Party Secretary General, Cde Blade Nzmande, along with his team of officials. “The South African Communist Party (SACP) is appalled by, and condemns in strongest terms possible, the apartheid Israeli regime's decision to deny our Minister of Higher Education and Training and SACP General Secretary Cde Blade Nzmande and his team of officials with an entry visa into Palestine, “the SACP said in a statement. The SACP stated that Nzmande was officially invited by his Palestinian counterpart, Dr. Khawla Shakhsheer, to visit Palestine from 25-29 April 2015. The South African Department of Higher Education and Training, said the visit follows a visit by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2014, in which an agreement between South Africa and Palestine was singed. The “justifi...

More than 150,000 people marched through London today, Saturday, in Britain’s biggest protest ever against Israel’s oppression of Gaza. They came on coaches, trains and minibuses from round the country. The march gathered outside the BBC, angry at the appalling coverage of Israel’s massacre of nearly 2,000 Palestinians. It finished with a mass rally in Hyde Park. The march took an hour and three quarters to arrive. The park was a sea of Palestinian flags. More than 3,000 also protested in Edinburgh. They marched to Bute House, the first minister’s residence. For two hours they held a sit-down protest blocking the city’s main shopping street, Princes Street. Today has been called a Day of Rage for Gaza across the world. Up to 200,000 also marched in Cape Town, South Africa, drawing parallels between Israel and the apartheid regime. Demonstrators also marched in Delhi. Safia Hibah from Isleworth, west London, was on the London march. She told Socialist Worker, “The story the news ...

As the Presbyterian Church USA holds its 2014 general assembly in Detroit from 14-21 June, Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town Desmond Tutu has issued this call on delegates to vote in favor of divestment from companies that assist “apartheid” Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian people: As the Presbyterian General Assembly gathers for its biennial meeting, I reach out in prayer and solidarity that the Assembly will make a strong witness for reconciliation, justice and peace. I am aware that the Assembly will consider eight overtures on the confounding and intractable conflict in Israel and Palestine, however I am especially urging the Assembly to adopt the overture naming Israel as an apartheid state through its domestic policies and maintenance of the occupation, and the overture calling for divestment of certain companies that contribute to the occupation of the Palestinian people. Both are worthy of adoption, by speaking truth in the first instance, and owning up to the Church’s ...

From The Electronic Intifada - Christian leaders in South Africa have thrown their full support behind Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW), a global campaign to educate and mobilize the public against Israeli violations of Palestinian rights. On Sunday, Anglican Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town Desmond Tutu reiterated his support for IAW and for the Palestinian-led campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) on Israel. “People who are denied their dignity and rights deserve the solidarity of their fellow human beings,” Tutu said in a statement. “I have witnessed the racially segregated roads and housing in the Holy Land that reminded me so much of the conditions we experienced in South Africa under Apartheid,” Tutu added. “Their humiliation is familiar to all black South Africans who were corralled and harassed and insulted and assaulted by the security forces of the Apartheid government.” Recalling the role of BDS in ending apartheid in South Africa, Tutu said the “same issu...

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Dozens of Palestinians were injured and one detained as Israeli forces opened fire to disperse protests against the Israeli occupation and commemorating Nelson Mandela's death across the West Bank on Friday afternoon. Protests against the Israeli occupation and separation wall took place in villages across the West Bank, including in Bilin, al-Masara, Kafr Qaddum, and Nabi Saleh. Demonstrators raised slogans and posters of South African anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela in many villages, commemorating the legacy of the "freedom fighter" who passed away on Thursday. Many Palestinian activists argue that the system of racial segregation in South Africa that existed until 1994 resembles the Israel treatment of Palestinians, referring to the current situation as "Israeli apartheid." more

South Africa’s former ambassador in Tel Aviv has publicly rejected a gift from the Israeli government, of 18 trees planted in his name by the Jewish National Fund (JNF), on land violently expropriated from its Palestinian owners. Ismail Coovadia, a former anti-apartheid activist, and a member of the ruling African National Congress, was presented with a JNF certificate, signed by Rafael Barak, director general of the Israeli foreign ministry, informing him that the trees had been planted in his “honor.” Coovadia was appalled at the move and, in a letter posted by BDS South Africa, explained: I have recently completed serving my term as the fifth Ambassador of democratic, non-racial South Africa to the State of Israel. The racist actions of the Israeli parastatal, the Jewish National Fund, together with various other Israeli state institutions to forcibly remove the Palestinians and Bedouins from their legitimate homes is yet another repeat of the ongoing injustice meted out by t...

Human rights groups, trade unions and several other major civil society organisations have called for the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme to exclude Israel. The international diamond regulatory body is meeting in South Africa and is chaired currently by Pretoria's former ambassador to Washington, Mr Welile Nhlapo. Organisations including South Africa's National Union of Mineworkers (NUM); the country's largest trade union federation, COSATU; the SACP; YCL; South African Students Congress (SASCO); Congress of South African Students (COSAS), the Coalition for a Free Palestine and BDS South Africa are behind the call. A statement issued at a press conference held at COSATU's Head Office in Johannesburg pointed out that the KPCS presents an opportunity for South African officials to show "moral vision and political leadership" by excluding Israel. "The billions of dollars' worth of diamonds exported via Israel are," said the coalition, ...

Meeting in Durban, South Africa last week, Public Services International (PSI) also pledged to participate in Israel Apartheid Week, an annual series of events designed to raise awareness about the discrimination and human rights abuses faced by Palestinians. PSI represents 20 million workers throughout the globe. A resolution urging support for the Palestinian-led mobilisation for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel was proposed to the PSI congress by the South African Municipal Workers Union. Approved by a large majority, the resolution stated: “We will continue working with our partners in the trade union movement to ensure that worker solidarity is maximized locally and internationally. The slogan of the trade union movement — ‘an injury to one is an injury to all’ — rings true for the people of Palestine. The injustices and human rights abuses towards Palestinians, while living under the rule of apartheid Israel, affects us all and we will continue to mob...

Israel hit back at South Africa for its decision on Wednesday to mandate special labels for products made in settlements, with Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon saying that the decision proved the South Africa was still an "apartheid state". "The changes that took place in South Africa over the years did not yield a truly fundamental change. South Africa remains an apartheid state," Ayalon said in a statement made on Wednesday night, Israeli media reports. Ayalon also condemned the South African government for the killing of 34 striking miners by police, the largest number of casualties since the end of apartheid, saying, "At the moment South Africa's apartheid is aimed at Israel, and against miners within South AFrica itself. "Instead of deciding to label Israeli products, Soth Africa should have acted courageously towards the 34 innocent miners that were just asking for an improvement in working conditions." The proposal, which means that goo...

Because of the treatment and policies of Israel towards the Palestinian people, we strongly discourage South Africans from going there,” South Africa’s deputy minister of international relations and co-operation has told the Mail & Guardian . The Deputy Minister Ebrahim Ebrahim added that this was South Africa’s “general policy,” but more so “in regard to municipalities, since they are part of government.” South African mayor’s visit to Israel canceled The minister’s comments came in the wake of the cancelation of a visit to Israel by a delegation of mayors and municipal leaders from South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province. more

ANC's Ronnie Kasrils (founding member of Umkhonto we Sizwe - the ANC's armed wing - and member of the high command) speaks in Tottenham - Boycott Israeli goods now! Tuesday 3rd July, doors open 7pm Also speaking: Gary McFarlane (local community activist and developer of the iGaza iPhone app) Venue: St John Vianney Church Hall, 386 West Green Road, Tottenham N15 3QL Buses: W4, 41, 67, 230 Nearest tubes: Turnpike Lane or Seven Sisters In April and May this year, thousands of Palestinian prisoners went on hunger strike, protesting against their imprisonment without trial (‘administrative detention’) by the Israeli authorities. But it’s not only adults who suffer this way, hundreds of Palestinian children are also incarcerated in Israeli jails. RONNIE KASRILS, ANC activist and veteran of the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, has consistently spoken out against the oppression of the Palestinian people, and we are delighted to be able to welcome him to Tottenham. He has ag...

The Durban-based NGO, South African Relief Agency (Sara), will be flying in aid to help citizens of the besieged Gaza strip in June. The 14-strong convoy, which includes religious leaders, university professors, advocates, lawyers, school principals, doctors, and therapists, will fly to Cairo on June 14, before joining a convoy of trucks carrying aid to Gaza via the Rafah crossing. “We will be taking aid in the form of medical equipment – dental chairs, X-ray machines, 200 wheelchairs, air mattresses, five containers of incontinence pads, milk powder, three truckloads of nappies, three truckloads of stationery, 200 crutches, and clothing,” said the agency’s secretary-general, Sheikh Walid El Saadi. “We will be distributing the aid ourselves and visiting hospitals, schools, the aged and disabled, as well as seeing to ongoing projects and supporting traumatised children and those most affected by the ongoing war.” El Saadi said agency’s mission was to show solidarity with the people of P...

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The Miles of Smiles aid convoys to Gaza will send three new convoys to the Gaza Strip including one for women in March. Issam Yousef, the coordinator of those convoys, said in a press release on Saturday that twenty Jordanian women would take part in March’s convoy, which would also witness the participation of women from various other Arab and Islamic countries. He explained that two others would be organized in April and May, the first for youth in the age category 15-20 and would specifically arrive from South Africa. He said that the idea is that those youth would symbolically contribute in the development of the enclave. Yousef noted that the convoy in May would be allocated for leaders from various Arab and Islamic countries, adding that he would try and convince western leaders to take part in that convoy. more

The South African government might consider supporting sanctions against Israel as it explores a variety of peaceful methods to step up support for the Palestinians' fight for freedom and independence. "We want to step up our support of the Palestinians and are investigating a number of peaceful ways to upgrade this support. We have no problem with supporting the Boycott, Disinvestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel," Minister of Arts and Culture Paul Mashatile told The New Age. Mashatile was addressing a press conference in Pretoria yesterday at the Department of Arts and Culture, during the signing of a cultural agreement between South Africa and Palestine. During the signing Palestinian Arts and Culture Minister Siham Barghouti and Palestinian Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture Musa Abu Ghreibeh, exchanged gifts with their South African counterparts, Minister Mashatile and deputy minister Joe Pehle. Later on in the year the Palestinians will host South Af...

BDS National Committee to participate in South Africa session of Russell Tribunal on Palestine – Cape Town, 5-7 November 2011 Live webcast begins 8am local time Saturday 5 November: http://www.russelltribunalonpalestine.com/en Representatives of the Palestinian BDS National Committtee (BNC), the broad Palestinian civil society coalition that leads the BDS movement, will participate in the Third International Session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine in South Africa next month. Rafeef Ziadah, Jamal Juma’ and Ingrid Jaradat will appear as expert witnesses testifying about Israel’s apartheid policies against the Palestinian people. The Russell Tribunal on Palestine is a public awareness tribunal set up by international civil society to investigate violations of international law perpetrated against the Palestinian people. The upcoming session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine will investigate the question: “Are Israel’s practices against the Palestinian People in breach of the prohi...

From BDS South Africa South African student bodies slam "Israeli Apartheid Agents" and endorse nationwide Israel boycott This afternoon at a joint press conference held at the student center of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, national representatives of the South African Union of Students (SAUS), the South African Student Congress (SASCO) and the Young Communist League (YCL) slammed the pending trip of "Israeli Apartheid agents" to South Africa. The Israeli mission to South African campuses is expected to arrive on the 11th of August 2011. Palestinian students have written to South African peers asking them to challenge and boycott the Israeli delegation. Today's press conference was hosted by South Africa's oldest, largest and most representative student bodies - the South African Students Congress*, the South African Union of Students** and the Young Communist League***. Furthermore, members of the University of Johannesburg and Univer...

Port Sudan, Sudan (CNN) -- A humanitarian land convoy heading to Gaza from South Africa reached Port Sudan, Sudan on the Red Sea Wednesday and is destined to become the first relief mission to Gaza from Africa. "I was inspired last year by the convoys that went to Gaza from Europe, so we asked ourselves; why not from Africa?" said Sheikh Walid al-Saadi of the South African Relief Agency (SARA). After eight months of preparation, the land convoy which consists of ten trucks, explained al-Saadi, departed Durban, South Africa on June 26 and has passed through seven countries thus far including Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia and Sudan. It is to unload its shipment of humanitarian aid in Port Sudan on ships that will head to Suez, Egypt where members of the convoy will receive their trucks after flying to Egypt from Sudan. The convoy has received the support of several South African leaders including Bishop Desmond Tutu who said in a YouTube video message: ...

(pic: David Randall from Faithless - featured in the advert that was the subject of unsuccessful complaints by pro-Israel organisations in South Africa) Johannesburg - PNN - Earlier this week in a bold statement against Israel, South Africa’s media watchdog the 'Advertising Standards Agency’ (ASA), dismissed complaints relating to an advert of 5fm radio that called for a boycott of Israel while comparing Israel to Apartheid South Africa. The advert aired in South Africa in February this year, starred Dave Randall, lead guitarist of the band Faithless, where he stated: ‘Twenty years ago I would not have played in apartheid South Africa; today I refuse to play in Israel. Be on the right side of history. Don’t entertain apartheid. Join the international boycott of Israel.’ As a result an official complaint was filed to ASA by the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD), expressing that the adverts claim that Israel was an Apartheid State was ‘untrue, not supported by any eviden...

From Press TV The first overland African convoy has set out for the impoverished Gaza Strip, carrying humanitarian relief aid to the besieged coastal sliver. The convoy, comprising 21 activists and a dozen vehicles, carries much needed aid that include medical supplies, basic essentials, milk powder, generators and materials to build 10 houses, a Press TV correspondent reports. Starting the road trip from the South African city of Durban, the aid convoy is expected to reach Gaza by the end of July. “Today we stand here in total, unconditional, universal support of this initiative. God bless you as you travel to the land and reach the dear people of Palestine,” said Michael Abrahams of Durban mayor's office. All of the vehicles will be donated to the Gaza municipality. However, Egyptian authorities have stated that they will not allow the convoy onto Egyptian thoroughfares. The organizers of the convoy said the aim was not only to take aid to Gaza, but also to raise awareness across...

Na'em Jeenah was detained and interrogated for 10 hours. From Al Jazeera Na'eem Jeenah, a South African scholar who was detained by Israel, has reportedly been deported to Turkey. The Afro-Middle East Centre (AMEC) in Johannesburg issued the following statement: The director of the Afro Middle East Centre (AMEC) Na’eem Jeenah has been deported to Istanbul after ten hours of interrogation. Mr Jeenah’s passport and all his belongings were not returned. He was deported late last night and is presently in a holding area at Istanbul Airport. We call on our government to offer Mr Jeenah full consular support and to speedily facilitate his safe travel home. AMEC also, at the very least, demands vigorous condemnation of this unconscionable act and an official protest to the Israeli government from our Department of International Relations and Cooperation... Na'eem Jeenah's website is here .