South Africans protests Israeli violence on Palestinian worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque

Dozens of people in the South African city of Cape Town staged a vigil in protest over Israeli aggression against Palestinian worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem al-Quds.

According to local media, the protest was organized by the Palestine Solidarity Alliance and the Anti-Racism Network South Africa.

The protestors called for "mass marches" on Friday to express their rejection of the Israeli violations against Al-Aqsa Mosque and other holy sites in the occupied city.

Israeli raids on Al-Aqsa have continued for the second day in a row as they seek to evacuate Palestinian worshippers.

Police again used stun grenades and fired rubber bullets against Muslims in the Noble Sanctuary of Al-Aqsa. Palestinians have since been calling for a strong stand to be taken against Israeli terrorism.

South Africa established close ties with the Israeli regime during the apartheid era, but after the collapse of the discriminatory system, the African country began to lean towards Palestine.

In 2019, South Africa downgraded its relations with Israel in reaction to the regime's deadly atrocities against the people of Gaza.

The move saw Pretoria demoting its diplomatic mission in the occupied territories into a liaison office with limited functionality, returning its ambassador, and refusing to send the envoy back for four months.

Amnesty International: Israel is an apartheid regime

Last year, UK-based Amnesty International said its investigation shows that Israel imposes a system of oppression and domination against Palestinians across all areas under its occupation.

Amnesty said this amounts to apartheid as prohibited in international law.

The term “apartheid” was originally used to refer to a political system in South Africa which explicitly enforced racial segregation, and the domination and oppression of whites over blacks.

Apartheid is a violation of public international law, a grave violation of internationally protected human rights, and a crime against humanity under international criminal law.

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