Former South African President Thabo Mbeki and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu have both called for boycotting Israel.
In arguing whether Israeli policy is comparable to Apartheid, I have always been inclined to take South Africans as the experts, starting with Hendrik Verwoerd, the architect of Apartheid.
Israel, like South Africa, is an apartheid state.
In terms of Gandhi's analysis,
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.
we are in the transition from ultra-Zionists and their enablers laughing at the
BDS movement (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) to fighting against reality itself. Victory, that is, a peaceful two-state solution, is not automatic and will not come right away, but it is inevitable.
This is not a Diary about who wants to kill whom, and who should be condemned for that. There are plenty of other Diaries for that. This is about people around the world, and particularly in South Africa, taking action in support of the two-state solution, no matter what BDS itself says its goal is.
Here is more of the Verwoerd quotation.
In 1961, the South African prime minister, and the architect of South Africa's apartheid policies, Hendrik Verwoerd, dismissed an Israeli vote against South African apartheid at the United Nations, saying,
Israel is not consistent in its new anti-apartheid attitude ... they took Israel away from the Arabs after the Arabs lived there for a thousand years. In that, I agree with them. Israel, like South Africa, is an apartheid state.
Some apologists for Israel claim that this doesn't apply to Israel's actions in the Palestinian Territories, because Vorwoerd was talking about keeping Arabs in Israel proper from becoming citizens, which was permitted later on.
Feh.
As the man says, with approval, the land was stolen from its prior inhabitants. And more of it is being stolen today.
Gaza conflict: South Africa's Mbeki calls for Israeli goods boycott
Most South Africans have historically supported the Palestinians.
BBC South Africa analyst Farouk Chothia says they include the country's first black president - the late Nelson Mandela - Nobel peace laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu and prominent Jewish leaders such as Ronnie Kasrils and the late Joe Slovo.
Mbeki rejected calls to recall the SA Ambassador to Israel, but said that South Africa's political parties, trade unions and religious groups should mobilise for a boycott of Israeli goods and divesting from Israeli companies.
In an e-mail copied below Avaaz linked to this article by Archibishop Tutu, which Tikkun Magazine also sent out to its mailing list:
My plea to the people of Israel: Liberate yourselves by liberating Palestine
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, in an exclusive article for Haaretz, calls for a global boycott of Israel and urges Israelis and Palestinians to look beyond their leaders for a sustainable solution to the crisis in the Holy Land.
Archbishop Tutu wrote:
I asked the crowd to chant with me: “We are opposed to the injustice of the illegal occupation of Palestine. We are opposed to the indiscriminate killing in Gaza. We are opposed to the indignity meted out to Palestinians at checkpoints and roadblocks. We are opposed to violence perpetrated by all parties. But we are not opposed to Jews.”
Over the past few weeks, more than 1.6 million people across the world have signed onto this movement by joining an Avaaz campaign calling on corporations profiting from the Israeli occupation and/or implicated in the abuse and repression of Palestinians to pull out. The campaign specifically targets Dutch pension fund ABP; Barclays Bank; security systems supplier G4S; French transport company Veolia; computer company Hewlett-Packard; and bulldozer supplier Caterpillar.
Last month, 17 EU governments urged their citizens to avoid doing business in or investing in illegal Israeli settlements.
Got that? Opposed to violence from all sides, not opposed to Jews. Just in case anybody was thinking of asking why they didn't condemn Hamas, or claiming that they are anti-Semitic. Or why moderate Muslims don't condemn Muslim terrorists.
Or why the sea is boiling hot, or whether pigs have wings
You see? They can laugh at us, and we can point and laugh back.
From Avaaz:
Dear friends,
This is the first time an opinion piece has gone out to our community, but this one's historic.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu has just published a powerful call to conscience in an Israeli newspaper. In it, the Nobel Laureate and anti-apartheid legend stands with 1.7 million of us in calling on companies to boycott and divest from the Israeli occupation and repression of Palestine. His love shines through, as he urges Israelis (87% of whom supported the Gaza bombing) to liberate themselves from this terrible status quo. It's a must-read:
His Op-Ed is here (free registration may be needed, or try this other link).
The piece is exclusively published in an Israeli newspaper, but it's a powerful legitimizer of what some governments still see as a controversial position, and the rest of the world needs to see it. The only way that will happen is through people sharing it. Let's share it with everyone!
This campaign is gathering real pace. Russell Brand has recorded this video backing our campaign, and the companies we're targeting are starting to reach out to the Avaaz team and ask for meetings. Avaazers in the UK are campaigning to end arms sales to Israel as the government there initiates a review. And shockingly, even the US government cancelled a shipment of hellfire missiles to Israel!
The pressure is working - so let's keep it up! If you haven't yet, sign the petition here. Or click here to keep sending messages to our target companies. Let's make sure they don't think they can ride this out. And if you have a local campaign you could start to ensure that your town, or university, or community divests from the repression of Palestinians, start your own campaign here.
It's a tremendous thing for us to once again stand alongside Archbishop Tutu - one of our truly great non-violent leaders. Because in a world torn apart by extremists who successfully demonise the 'other', non-violent strength is transformative - the strength to be firm, even tough, in standing up for justice, but out of a love for all people that refuses to fall victim to the fear and ignorance that is our universal enemy. A love that recognises that all our fates, and freedom, are intertwined. That's the precious spirit that our greatest leaders, from Gandhi to Tutu, have taught us, and that our community strives to live up to with each and every campaign.
With hope,
Ricken, Alex, Fadi, Jeremy, Ana Sofia, Ari and the rest of the Avaaz team
PS - This campaign is about creating the conditions for a lasting peace between Israel and Palestine, and safe homes for Jews and Palestinians alike. Both anti-semitism and racism against Palestinians, like all hatred, are grotesque and should be fought. At the end of day, it is extremists on both sides that work together to threaten a peaceful future, and our work is to bring reasonable people together from all sides to take the action needed to save both Israel and Palestine. If anyone feels this campaign is one-sided, please check the Avaaz team's response and explanation here.
Here are the objections Avaaz responded to.
Over one million Avaaz members have responded highly enthusiastically to this Israel-Palestine campaign, we're also seeing a number of thoughtful critiques of our position, ones that merit consideration and response. We don't always get it 100% right, and hearing from members helps us to do so in the future. We really appreciate the time members took in sharing opinions and information with us, and so sorry this is long, but I wanted to address the core points, which are:
a) This campaign is one sided and anti-Israel
b) Avaaz appears to condone Hamas
c) Muslim nations have refused to recognise the right for Israel to exist
d) Israel makes strong efforts to protect Gazan civilians
e) Palestinian people suffer not because of Israel, but because of the Palestinian leadership
f) Settlements are not 'illegal'
If you wish to raise such an objection, you will need to reply to Avaaz's counter to your objection in order to be taken seriously in the discussion.