THE ANC YOUTH LEAGUE TO STEP UP ITS EFFORTS UNTIL GOVERNMENT ISOLATES APARTHEID ISRAEL ATTENTION The ANCYL is not discouraged or deterred in its unapologetic stance that our government must withdraw our ambassador to Israel and expel the Israeli ambassador to South Africa. We believe these moves would be necessary and decisive steps towards isolating the Apartheid state of Israel. The ANC and the ANCYL have made clear resolutions on Palestine and have committed ourselves in our highest decision making body, the national congress, to support the Palestinian people. The ANCYL welcomed the progressive and clear statements issued by Cde Jessie Duarte (on behalf of the ANC) and the statement that was issued by Cde Stone Sizani (on behalf of the ANC parliamentary caucus), but want government deployees to walk the walk, by making Israeli Ambassador Arthur Lenk walk. We will engage Cde Gwede Mantashe (SG of the ANC) to express both the urgency and importance with which we see these demands. The ANC has always stood with the people of Palestine and we will never allow small opposition parties, some who claim to be revolutionary, to highjack platforms. The ANC has a majority in parliament and the ANC is clear, we expect that there will be action on this urgent and important issue. Our government must listen to the tens of thousands of protestors who have gathered across South Africa to demand that our leaders deliver on these simple and clear demands; we do not need to test the patience of these masses. Let us be clear, recalling the SA ambassador and expelling the Israeli Ambassador are not contrary to diplomacy, in fact, these measures are diplomatic measures to indicate to Israel that its killing of innocent civilians is unacceptable. Equador, Brazil, Chile and Peru have already taken similar steps and South Africa must now follow. Expelling the Israeli Ambassador and protesting against what Israel is doing is done out of revolutionary love. Its also done after the ANC, President Zuma and the South Africa government have asked, requested and pleaded with the Israeli government to end its attacks on Gaza. In the absence of an end to the attacks South Africa must protest against these attacks, and the avenue available it to expel the Israeli Ambassador and recall our Ambassador as forms of diplomatic protest. While the mediation role which the South African government has offered is welcomed- it does not negate from our clear demands that Israeli Apartheid ambassador Arthur Lenk leave. The government must be fearless and must act immediately, we cannot find ourselves in a situation where conference resolutions are undermined- the ANC and its leagues have never and will never be neutral on the attacks on Gaza and the ongoing oppression of Palestine. The ANCYL also wants to congratulate protest organisers for the great discipline, dignified behaviour and peacefulness which prevailed in all protests around the country over the past few weeks even though there is an understandable frustration with the attacks on Gaza and the need for our government to be decisive. These were some of the biggest, if not the biggest, protest actions South Africa has seen, yet they were also incident free. These organisers the MJC, BDS South Africa, COSATU and various structures of the MDM have been an example to the country in how they have taken their demands to government – indeed a united and democratic front of Christians, Muslims, Jews, whites, blacks and all others is in the process of being formed in solidarity with the Palestinian people. We undertake to lobby and push our leaders into action. The ANCYL will mobilise and support protests, while also encouraging all our members, protest organisers and protestors to maintain peace and order during the planned actions ahead. Issued by African National Congress Youth League FOR INTERVIEWS: Bram Hanekom (ANCYL NTT Member) – 081 353 0699 MEDIA STATEMENT ISSUED ON Wednesday, 30 July 2014
Posted on: Thu, 31 Jul 2014 07:26:32 +0000
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