NASSER: U.S. SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL IS THE PROBLEM

Today is the late Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser’s birthday.

A Pan-Africanist and Pan-Arabist, Nasser had ambitions of returning all of Palestine to the Palestinians. But he was dealt a blow by Israel’s pre-emptive 1967 attack, as a result of which Egypt lost Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula. Tel Aviv also took the West Bank from Jordan and the Golan Heights from Syria.

In this 1967 interview, he dished out some African advice that would serve US foreign policymakers well today - if they only listened to it. He argues that, as a simple matter of fairness, a superpower like the US shouldn’t take sides, but should equally listen to Arab voices and concerns.

Continued….Nasser’s view that US support for Israel is the problem is even more relevant today than it was in 1967. President Joe Biden has come out strongly in support of Israel, whose armed forces have killed over 23,000 Palestinians since October 7 - supposedly acting in self-defence.

Moreover, the US supplies Tel Aviv with $3.8 billion worth of arms annually, giving it seemingly unconditional support on the diplomatic front. And as the world awaits the outcome of South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the ICJ, analysts say Washington’s unconditional support makes it complicit.

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SOUTH AFRICA FM DESTROYS FAKE NEWS

Let’s be honest in reporting on the Palestine-Israel conflict, urged South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor.

She was responding to Cornelius Mulder, a member of the South African National Assembly. He had asked during Pandor’s 7 November address to the elected body if the South African government denies widespread claims of H*m*s beheading babies. US President Joe Biden later walked back his claim that he had seen images of decapitated babies. Israeli authorities also confirmed the claims are unverified.

Continued….Pandor amplified the facts that some quarters have been trying to downplay: The Palestinian people had been denied their human rights for long before the 7 October escalation in Gaza. Nearly 24,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been killed since the conflict between Palestine and Israel escalated 7 October.

In response to the ongoing horror, the South African government dragged Israel to the International Court of Justice on 11-12 January in an attempt to stop Tel Aviv’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip. South Africa’s legal application, filed on 29 December 2023, argues Israel is violating the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention.

Tell us what you think of the South African official’s remarks.

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BULLETS VERSUS SONG IN SUDAN

One of the saddest parts of this ongoing war in Sudan between two greedy generals backed by greedy, external forces is the price that our Sudanese sisters are paying. As a result of this brutal conflict, the UN estimates that 4.2 million Sudanese women and girls in Sudan are at risk of gender-based violence. Several videos have surfaced online of Rapid Support Forces militia men stating r*pe as their ‘right’ in war.

Continued….Women always pay a heavier price in war, but the attack on women seems to have an extra layer of motivation because it was the Sudanese women, the Kandakas, who led the Sudanese revolution in 2018/2019 - a revolution that both generals in the Sudanese war have opposed, despite their attempts at lip service.

We are reposting this clip to remind those who need reminding of the strength and spirit of our Sudanese sisters who led the movement to topple Omar al-Bashir in 2019. In it, our sisters are chanting a song of the revolution in defiance of the power-hungry generals who, even back then, seemed destined to prevent Sudan from ever transitioning to a civilian-led democracy. They chanted about peace and reconciliation - saying bullets won’t stop a new generation of Sudanese from building a better future under civilian, not military, rule.

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TUTU STATUE FOR PALESTINE

In another show of support for Palestinians, a life-size statue of Archbishop Desmond Tutu draped in a special Palestinian-African scarf has been unveiled in Cape Town.

It’s been placed on the balcony of his foundation’s headquarters at the Old Granary Building. And it will stay there until a ceasefire is declared in Israel’s three-month war on Gaza that’s killed over 23,000 Palestinians.

Continued….Tutu was an outspoken critic of Israel’s policies which he likened to apartheid in South Africa, marked by the humiliation of checkpoints, confiscation of land for settlements, house demolitions and the confinement of Palestinians to blobs of territory. He visited the region several times, including as an emissary of the United Nations, and called for nonviolent resistance to Israeli occupation through boycotts and sanctions. He believed, just like in apartheid South Africa, international isolation would play a major role in forcing change.

Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Mandla, was at the statue’s unveiling and explained the scarf’s pan-African colours of yellow, green and red had been made intentionally for Africa at a Gazan factory.

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HERO’S WELCOME FOR SOUTH AFRICA’S LEGAL TEAM

Upon landing at Johannesburg Airport, the South African legal team was greeted with a thunderous ovation. The team is returning from the World Court based in The Hague, where they presented a legal case accusing Israel of committing the crime of genocide in breach of the 1948 Genocide Convention.

During their three-hour long presentation, the team detailed the brutality inflicted on Palestinians in Gaza - to wit, the mass killing of Palestinians, bodily and mental harm, forced displacement and food blockade, destruction of the healthcare system, and preventing Palestinian births.

It could take years for the ICJ to reach a final judgement, but today the people of South Africa have welcomed their heroes home.

RAMAPHOSA ON WHY SOUTH AFRICA SUPPORTS PALESTINE

South Africa has been one of the staunchest supporters of the Palestinian people, and shown moral leadership by taking Israel to The Hague.

With an election due this year, President Cyril Ramaphosa told a recent ANC rally that the country’s experience of apartheid had given it a profound insight into the plight of the people of Gaza and of the West Bank.

He condemned the “appalling slaughter” and also reminded the crowd of Nelson Mandela’s belief that we are not truly free until Palestinians are free.

Pretoria has made history by taking Israel to the International Court of Justice - alleging that the leadership in Tel Aviv is committing genocide.

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'YOU'RE A GENOCIDER AS WELL' - NAMIBIA BLASTS GERMANY FOR SUPPORTING ISRAEL

Namibia has denounced Germany's support for Israel as South Africa has charged the Zionist state with violating the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Namibian President Hage Geingob raised that Germany's support for Israel is a contradiction, saying the former colonial power could not 'morally express commitment to the United Nations Convention against genocide, including atonement for the genocide in Namibia' while supporting Israel. Since 7 October, Israel's military has killed about 24,000 Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Continued….In the early 20th century, German colonial authorities in Namibia killed between 34,000 to 100,000 Herero and Nama people, according to some estimates. Historians regard this as the first genocide of the last century.

Given this and the European holocaust—in which Nazi Germany killed many minorities, including European Jews—Geingob said Berlin has no moral standing to comment.

On the brighter side, the ICJ genocide case may force other colonial perpetrators to account for their actions.

What do you think of Namibia calling out Germany for its support for Israel? Let us know in the comments below.

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BIDEN’S CHURCH VISIT RILES AFRICANS

The oldest African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church in the US South has become the site of a battle over conduct, morals, and US imperialism after US President Joe Biden recently took the pulpit at Mother Emanuel AME in Charleston, in the US state of South Carolina.

This comes as the 2024 US presidential election season heats up. Biden is the presumed Democratic Party nominee and South Carolina is an important state in which to win a majority of votes come November.

African Stream’s Salifu Mack reports that while many argue the church should be off limits for political protests, young people refuse to allow the site—with its revolutionary history—to be used to further US imperialism.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.

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NO GENOCIDE IN GAZA - BRITISH FM

According to British Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, Israel is not committing genocide in its bombardment of Gaza, that’s killed over 23,000 Palestinians. He doubled down on his position when interviewed by Sky News at the weekend, claiming there was not genocidal 'intent’ by Tel Aviv. And even said Israeli forces follow the rule of law.

His brash denial comes after South Africa made its case for genocide at the International Criminal Court of Justice. It listed ‘the killing of Palestinians in Gaza in large numbers, especially children; the destruction of their homes; their expulsion and displacement; as well as enforcing a blockade on food, water and medical assistance to the Strip’.

Continued….But it also reeled off the genocidal rhetoric of Israel’s political and military leaders - pointing to intent. They include Israel Defence Minister Yoav Gallant's warning: ‘Gaza won’t return to what it was before. We will eliminate everything… we will reach all places.’ The Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, calling for the ‘erasure of the Gaza Strip from the face of the earth.’ And Israel’s President and Minister of National Security both saying Hamas and Palestinians are responsible in ‘equal measure.’

In November, UN experts were saying ‘grave violations committed by Israel against Palestinians in the aftermath of 7 October, particularly in Gaza, point to a genocide in the making.’

Well, if genocide was in the making back then, a lot understand it’s the reality now. Other than, of course, Israel and its American and British backers.

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PRESIDENT PUTIN ON PALESTINE

Russia has been reorienting itself towards the Gobal South. That’s included fostering relations with a number of African countries, and now - open support for the Palestinian people.

In this short clip, Vladimir Putin responds to a journalist who asked him to comment on the idea of relocating the Gazan population to Egypt’s Sinai peninsula - as some have proposed.

The Russian leader makes it clear that he doesn’t think this would advance the cause of peace, and asserts that the Palestinian people have a historic right to the territories they live in (interestingly, the USSR had been first - de jure - to recognise Israel).

It’s a very different kind of messaging from the kind we get from the likes of US president Joe Biden.

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MANDELA’S GRANDSON SUPPORTS GENOCIDE CASE AGAINST ISRAEL

As an anti-apartheid hero and first president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela said in 1997, ‘We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.’

Mandela’s grandson, Mandla, is continuing his family’s legacy of defending humanity, particularly the Palestinian people. Recently, South Africa took the stand in The Hague against Israel’s siege and bombardment of the Gaza Strip, home to more than 2 million people. Mandela lauded his country for charging Israel with violating the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention at the International Court of Justice.

What do you think of South Africa’s case? Let us know below.

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COLDEST BRITISH CONFESSION YET

Mere years after presiding over the Nuremberg trials, Britain was unleashing the same horror on their colonies in Africa. During the struggle for independence in Kenya, unspeakable abuse was meted out to the displaced native population, whose only crime was wanting their land back. In this clip, the callousness of Britain is on full display in the form of a colonial-era British officer, Terence Gavanagh, responsible for torturing thousands of Kenyans on suspicion of their involvement with the Mau Mau freedom fighters. For his services, the Queen awarded this dishonourable man with one of the British Crown's most esteemed accolades, Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE).

While some call for letting all that be water under the bridge, others are raising questions about the incumbent head of state, King Charles III, who has refused to apologise. He instead expressed 'regret' for these and other crimes. Plus, the British project remains intact.

Continued….British conservancies control nearly 8 per cent of Kenya, uprooting local communities. Major tea-producing companies, such as Finlay and Unilever, continue occupying land more than six decades after supposed independence.

This clip is from a 2002 BBC documentary, 'Kenya: White Terror,' which caught heat from the UK's Office of Communications (OFCOM) for 'mishandling' the interview with Gavanagh. The British regulatory service should have appreciated the honest line of questioning toward a decorated former colonial British officer. We certainly did.

Let us know what you think in the comments.