South African international relations minister Naledi Pandor has called for a boycott of goods originating from Israel citing its ongoing deadly and devastating attacks on the besieged Gaza Strip.
Speaking at the International Dilemmas of Humanity Conference in Johannesburg on Saturday Pandor called for sending humanitarian aid to Gaza through Egypt. &ldquoLet’s ask every South African. There are 62 million of us&hellipall of us must donate one thing food or medical goods and let us persuade an airline to take them all to the Egyptian border with Palestine and deliver those goods.&rdquo
Pandor denounced the Israeli military attacks on Gaza stressing that the main cause of this fighting is Israel’s illegal occupation of the Palestinian land.
&ldquoDespite the fact that the root cause of this conflict is illegal occupation we have heard a tirade of criticism of Palestinians from Western powers and unflinching support for the occupying power&rdquo she said.
The South African minister also talked about Israel’s blockade on Gaza and its apartheid practices in the occupied Palestinian territories.
&ldquoFor 16 years. Gaza has been under siege with its people struggling to survive the ongoing land air and sea blockade imposed by Israel with Palestinians denied exit and entry into the Strip.&rdquo
&ldquoI was horrified when one of our former leaders comrade I don&rsquot know if I should call him comrade any more comrade Terror Lekota said that Israel is not an apartheid state. Well the Palestinians are denied free exit and entry into their own land. They do not have free movement. We didn&rsquot have free movement under apartheid. Palestinian people use separate entrances when they go through the border we had to use separate entrances under apartheid. Palestinian children do not have free access to education it was the same for us. So I don&rsquot know what more Israel should do for Comrade Lekota to recognize that it is an apartheid state.&rdquo
&ldquoWe&rsquove seen today increased Israeli aggression under the most far right Israeli government we&rsquove ever seen. And we&rsquove seen the inaction by the Security Council the very body whose mandate is to maintain international peace and security&rdquo she underlined.
