EFF statement on the International Day of Solidarity with the People of Palestine
29 November 2022
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) joins millions of freedom and peace-loving people across the world in marking the 45th anniversary of the International Day of Solidarity with the People of Palestine. In 1977, the United Nations General Assembly called for 29 November to be observed as an annual day for solidarity with the plight of the people of Palestine. Perhaps without irony on their part, it was on the 29th of November in 1947 that the United Nations adopted Resolution 181 (ii), which paved way for the partitioning of Palestine, and that soon thereafter, in May 1948, the so-called State of Israel was created, sparking a civil war that led to over 750 000 Palestinians getting displaced from their land.
Since then, the people of Palestine have known no peace, and have seen most of their land gradually taken over by a series of invasions instigated by the State of Israel, which is backed by the most powerful nations on earth. The little land that Palestinians now have has been turned into an open-air prison, where Israel security forces can move in, assault, imprison and murder Palestinian men, women, and children at will and with impunity.
The world watches these atrocities without any indignation because the atrocities are directed at people who are considered not to be worthy of human rights and dignity by those with power in the world. As Aime Cesaire teaches us on his book "Discourse on Colonialism", the West is not least bothered by crimes committed against people who are not white, because the very foundations of their society are premised on the exploitation and murder of people who do not look like them.
The tragedy of the people of Palestine therefore is one that those with power in the world can tolerate and not pay attention to, while the same western powers want to mobilize the rest of the world to focus on Ukraine, because people of Caucasian lineage are under threat. This duplicity must never be left unattended, and for us and the rest of the progressive forces around the world, the oppression and exploitation of the people of Palestine by Israel will never be tolerated.
If the world is serious about solidarity with the people of Palestine, then there must be universal condemnation of apartheid Israel. This must entail boycott of everything that has to do with Israel, starting with severing any form of State-to-State relations with Israel, evicting their ambassador to South Africa and their ambassadors across the world.
The EFF stands in solidarity with Palestine, calls for the return of their land, and we condemn the bloodthirsty and repressive US backed regime of the so-called State of Israel. We further call on the United Nations to stop paying lip service to the freedom of the people of Palestine, and start isolating Israel. This will however be impossible until the UN Security Council is reformed to remove veto powers from the few countries that support the crimes committed by Israel against the people of Palestine.
Issued by Sinawo Thambo, National Spokesperson, EFF, 29 November 2022
