Grandson of the late president of South Africa Nelson Mandela and member of the South African parliament Mandla Mandela on Monday said that Palestine is being subjected to the worst version of apartheid.
Mandela said in press statements “The settlements I saw here (the occupied West Bank) reminded me of what we had suffered in South Africa because we also were surrounded by many settlements and were not allowed to move from one place to another freely” Quds Press reported.
These statements were voiced during a joint press conference with the Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah. Mandela on Monday arrived in the Palestinian territories in a first-of-its-kind visit that is scheduled to last for four days.
Hamdallah who received Mandela at his Ramallah office stressed the strength of the bilateral relations between the two countries and praised South Africa’s support for the Palestinian people and their just cause in international forums.
He briefed the African official on the situation in the Palestinian territories as well as Israel’s violations against the Palestinians including the settlement expansion and displacement projects which constitute a major obstacle to realizing the dream of establishing a Palestinian state.
Hamdallah and Mandela also discussed ways of advancing cooperation between Palestine and South Africa.
