Nelson Mandela, the former South African President and world icon once said that the freedom of the people of South Africa cannot be complete without the freedom of the Palestinian people. For those whose memories are short, for many years South Africans experienced the evil of Apartheid or forced segregation which ended in 1994.
Whites were considered the master race while non-whites were considered inferior. We non-whites lived like Krap compared to our white neighbors who were lucky to get the best jobs, attend the best schools, use the best beaches, sit on the best benches, the list is endless. As a South African I can relate to the pain experienced by the Palestinians. Many people are under the misconception that this is a battle of Muslim Vs Jews. This is not correct. I concede that the majority of Palestinians are Muslim, but If one were to look at the demographics of the Palestinians, you will find that it is home to both Christians and Muslims, To make the point even easier to understand, simply look at the wife of former PLO President Yasser Arafat, his wife was a Palestinian Christian and so was his former right hand women, Hanan Ashwari. It is therefore Not a Muslim Vs Jew issue but simply a battle for the dignity and respect of the Palestinian People, our fellow Human Beings. The main part of the western world which has seen vociferous condemnation including the expulsion of the Israeli Ambassadors has been in South America. Complements must be given to these respective countries as despite unfavorable economic conditions, they continue to remain defiant and refuse to be bullied by the forces of western imperialism. From a Muslim World perspective, with Syria and Libya destroyed, the Saudi Arabians not bothered, Iraq in a mess and Iran, always vocal but strangled by sanctions there is no major Muslim country or Muslim "bloc" that can or despite having the means like Saudi Arabia which has over a 1 Trillion almighty Dollars invested in the US, have the balls or will to exercise any formidable political or economic pressure against Israel and the countries that support it. Despite the various forms of condemnation experienced throughout the world, the reality is that nothing can happen as long as the USA remains an ally of Israel. Historically, I could never understand how the Palestinians accepted the US as mediator when they always committed their support to Israel. As long as this status quo remains, Israel will remain strong militarily and politically, If the politicians cant do anything, we as normal human beings who see the suffering and can see or feel the pain of the Palestinian people can act. How? The answer is simple, simply boycott products produced by Israel and countries that support them. Long live the spirit of Nelson Mandela and other revolutionaries like Fidel Castro, Hugo Chaves, Steve Biko, Robert Sibukwe, Col Muammar Gadaffi and Ayatollah Khomeini who stood up for the disadvantaged and against the forces of western imperialism. These are a rare breed of leader and hard to find in todays world. An interesting fact is that the originator of the Al Quds Marches throughout the world supported by both Sunni and Shiites was Ayatollah Khomeini.