South African conference lays out roadmap for international isolation and prosecution of Israel
The World Conference against Israeli Apartheid in Palestine, hosted by South Africa from May 10 to 12, concluded on Sunday.
The conference issued a statement signed by delegates from 20 countries, of all religious beliefs, political and ideological views, all pledging to work towards an immediate, unconditional and lasting ceasefire to end the genocide in the Gaza Strip, lift the blockade and withdraw Israeli forces, as well as end settler terrorism.
This first World Conference against Apartheid for Palestine began a process of large-scale mobilization around the world to escalate Palestinian solidarity and build an anti-apartheid movement.
The statement called on all solidarity movements around the world to join this effort to build a global movement that stands with all the oppressed.
The signatories said we are committed to isolating Israel’s apartheid by intensifying economic, academic, sports, artistic and cultural boycotts, and escalating the campaign for economic and financial sanctions on Israel.
The statement laid out plans to activate these measures by closing shipping routes, campaigning for an arms embargo against Israel, targeting those who support, finance, supply or join the Israeli occupation forces, and expelling Israel from international sports, cultural and academic bodies.
At the press conference held at the end of the events, the president of the conference, Frank Shekani, said that the convening of the apartheid conference in Palestine came based on our visit to Palestine and our testimony to the pain and suffering suffered by the people there, as I have never seen anything like this in the world.
The President of the Conference added that Israeli soldiers protect the settlers as they beat and kill Palestinians, demolish and destroy homes, and the world does nothing, “so we convened this conference in order to mobilize the world against apartheid at the global level, to help and support us in this struggle, and this mobilization is inspired by our experience in South Africa”.
It’s noteworthy that the conference included a number of sessions and workshops, some of which were public and others closed, over a period of 3 days, all of which discussed means to establish a global movement against apartheid around the world, foremost of which is what Israel practices against the Palestinian people, and the aggression on Gaza was at the heart of these discussions, whether official or private sessions.
