South Africans hold protests over Israeli crimes against Palestinians

The escalation of the Israeli aggression against the people of Palestine is awakening the people of the world to the true face of the regime and prompting people from all walks of life to emerge and raise their voices.

South Africans have always highlighted the plight of Palestinians, with numerous marches held to demand stronger actions from the government. While the ruling ANC has taken several key policy decisions in this regard, it has largely failed to sign them into law. However, lobbyists are expected to put forward a bill in the parliament that would seek a boycott of Israel.

The South African government condemned the Israeli forces’ raids on the al-Aqsa Mosque compound and the planned evictions in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of the East Jerusalem al-Quds. It slammed the moves as being in breach of international law and several UN Security Council resolutions. But the country is yet to offer a plan to downscale its ties with Tel Aviv.

The demonstration forms part of a national day of action, with sister protests in Johannesburg, Durban, and other cities across the country. Demonstrators say their actions will continue until the government takes decisive steps.

Tensions escalated in Jerusalem al-Quds, the occupied West Bank, and Gaza throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The trigger was an Israeli plan for the forced expulsion of Palestinians from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in al-Quds, where illegal Israeli settlers are looking to further encroachments.

Palestinian resistance fighters have launched hundreds of rockets into Israeli-occupied territories in defense of Gaza against the regime’s bombardment of the besieged territory. The rocket barrage is also in retaliation for Israel’s brutal crackdown on worshipers at al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Israeli bombardment, which began on Monday, has left 53 Palestinians dead.

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