Pro-Palestine protestors march in Durban, South Africa
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South Africa's Durban witnessed pro-Palestine protests on Sunday, with demonstrators calling for an end to 'Israeli apartheid' in Palestine.
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Pro-Palestinian protestors march on Durban beachfront
Pro-Palestine took to the streets on Sunday in Durban, South Africa, and demonstrated on the beachfront, holding signs and waving Palestinian and South African flags.
Some protestors were seen holding photos of Nelson Mandela with quotes that read "End Israeli occupation apartheid - Free Palestine".
One of the protestors, Naseema Khan, said "There's a genocide taking place, it's a Palestinian holocaust. We are out here today to show our support and our solidarity for all the people in Palestine and in Gaza."
Some protesters were seen marching under a giant Palestinian flag and some were holding slogans that read "End Israeli occupation apartheid - Free Palestine," and "Freedom for Palestine."
Another protester, Wafeeqah Thawodien, spoke on behalf of protesting mothers, saying: "Coming here today, we mothers feel it the most. All the children in the world are our children and we feel the pain, we feel the suffering, we feel what they feel in their hearts and I can't even begin to imagine the strength they have to move on and relocate and go to other places."
Coming from what South Africans described as the "apartheid era", pro-Palestine protester, Fatima Simjee, said "We stood for apartheid, we've marched against apartheid in South Africa and there's no reason why we will not stand for apartheid again", she said, stressing that "This is genocide, the whole world has spoken, ninety percent, even more, have said that if you look at the latest stats, it's probably gone up from ninety to ninety-five percent of the world standing up for Palestine".
The protests took place during a four-day truce between "Israel" and the Palestinian Resistance group Hamas.
South Africa stands with Palestine
Sunday's protests add to a wave of pro-Palestinian initiatives made not only by pro-Palestine citizens but by the country itself.
Since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on Gaza and the launch of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, South Africa has made several national decisions to stand in solidarity with Palestine against Israeli brutality and aggression.
Last week, on November 21, the South African parliament voted in favor of closing the Israeli embassy, expelling the Israeli ambassador, and cutting diplomatic ties with the Israeli occupation in rejection of the brutal war waged by the occupation of Gaza.
The motion was passed on Tuesday with 248 votes in favor and 91 against. The motion, which was introduced by the leftwing opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), was backed by the ruling African National Congress and opposed by members of the centrist-party, white-majority Democratic Alliance (DA), which is considered pro-Israeli.
The vote comes after the Israeli Foreign Ministry announced that it has recalled its ambassador to South Africa for consultations in response to the "latest statements from South Africa." South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) party declared its endorsement of a parliamentary motion advocating for the closure of the Israeli embassy in South Africa.
South Africa, highly critical of the Israeli aggression on Gaza against the Palestinian Resistance, has withdrawn its diplomats from "Israel".
Its longstanding support for Palestinians traces back to the days of former President Nelson Mandela, drawing parallels between their struggle and South Africa's fight against apartheid. However, "Israel" rejects this comparison.
"The African National Congress will agree to a parliamentary motion which calls upon the government to close the Israel Embassy in South Africa and suspend all diplomatic relations with Israel until Israel agrees to a ceasefire," the ANC said in a statement.
