South African party declares support for boycott
By JTA
10/31/2012 19:19
International conference convened by ruling party in Pretoria advocates Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions campaign targeting Israel.
Anti-Israel protestors in South Africa Photo: REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
PRETORIA, South Africa - An international conference convened by South
Africa's ruling party declared its support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign targeting Israel.
Several anti-Israeli declarations
were made in Pretoria this week during the 3rd International Solidarity
Conference, organized by the African National Congress.
More than 1,000
delegates, from South Africa and around the world, participated in the ANC
conference held October 25 to October 29 at the Tshwane city hall in Pretoria, which
commemorates the anti-apartheid struggle.
During the debate, a German
delegate opposed to the proposal endorsing a boycott of Israel said that Israel
cannot be compared to the apartheid regime.
According to the South African daily
Business Day, the ANC's chairperson and South Africa's former deputy president,
Baleka Mbete, accused Israel of being ‘’worse than apartheid South Africa.’’
The
‘’Tshwane declaration’’ concluding the conference calls upon the delegates to
condemn the "continuous occupation of Palestinian territories by the Israeli
government’’ and reiterates its support for a Palestinian state within the 1967
borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and including full membership at
the United Nations.
The declaration also expresses support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign.’’
Parallel to the conference, another ANC
event took place on October 24 commemorating anti-apartheid leader Oliver Tambo and
titled ‘’advancing the Palestinian struggle for self-determination.’’
The
boycott, divestment and sanctions movement co-hosting the meeting published a
message supporting the Palestinian struggle, which was delivered at the event by
the head of the ANC's international relations subcommittee and South Africa's
deputy international relations minister, Ebrahim Ebrahim.
The message
calls upon all South Africans "to support the programs and campaigns of
Palestinian civil society in their pursuit of justice, freedom and equality."
Ebrahim has called in the past on South African citizens not to visit Israel.