Speech by Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) President Willie Madisha on the Occasion of the Protest March to the Israeli and US Embassies - Pretoria 12 April 2002
Leaders of the South African Communist Party, ANC and SANCO Comrades and friends! Dear comrades, Never has silenced being so deafening! Never has state terrorism been condoned in the face of many wars that are being fought under the banner of anti- terrorism. In the history of humankind, never have we seen so many people being maimed and the rest of the international community digging their heads in the sand. When the UN, through a resolution, called for the founding of the Palestinian state, never did the world suspect that it would amount to savage attacks, maiming of women and children, bombing of infrastructure and anarchy. Since 1948, the Palestinian people have been in struggle to ensure that they stay like all of humanity in a country that they will call their home. In the same period, the Israeli regimes have fought to deny the Palestinian people this important birthright. Notwithstanding the aggression the Israeli has pursued against the innocent, they have intensified their action and seized more land in 1967 following the war that took place. For the last 18 months the Palestinian people have been intensifying the offensive against the apartheid Israeli to ensure that their dreams for a free Palestine are realized. The Arial Sharon regime responded with army tanks, missiles and other forms of heavy military artillery, which has seen young children and innocent civilian killed. The UN for its part is guilty of failing to stop the genocide against the Palestinians. It possesses both the moral and political responsibility to ensure that the people of Palestine are given what is due to them. The UN Security Council resolutions, as well as the general assembly, have been violated for decades and have not done anything to punish Israel. In spite of the UN resolution that calls on Israel to stop its occupation of Gaza strip and West Bank, the UN has not taken action as it did in Iraqi dispute. Millions of Palestinians have been forced into exile. Whereas people of Jewish origin are allowed into Israel from wherever they are under the "Law of Return", the people of Palestine who are in exile are being denied the right of return to their motherland through the same "Law of return." The US has been pumping 5 billion US dollars annually and arming the apartheid Israel against the Palestinians. It is these billions of dollars that have killed more than 2000 young people mostly under the age of 15. Arial Sharon has the full support of the US. In March, the military forces attacked the headquarters of the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU). This is a clear case of state terrorism and has treated everybody in the world with contempt. In South Africa we have a direct experience of a similar situation to that of the Middle East. We expect the same solidarity that was expressed with us from the world. On our part, while we call for a cessation of hostilities, we want to make it clear that in this case, Sharon and his surrogates are aggressors. We call on the Israel to withdraw its forces from all occupied Palestine land. We demand that Sharon open negotiations with the leaders of the PLO, President Arafat and stop the siege in his headquarters of Ramallah which he has been secluded for the last 4 months. If they dare kill Arafat, there would not be peace in the Middle East because of the vacuum that will emerge! COSATU side by side with its alliance partners will be mobilizing the co-ordinating other action with the international trade union movement as a whole to ensure that all the demands for a free Palestine are realized. Amandla! Viva PLO! Viva Yasser Arafat! Patrick Craven and Moloto Mothapo Acting COSATU Spokespersons [EMAIL PROTECTED] 082-821-7456 339-4911 _______________________________________________ Leninist-International mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international
