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Solidarity Rally for Israel at H-Park Sunday
ANT KATZ
Event postponed for 1 week
Civil society, Jewish organisations, and church groups, together with the South African Zionist Federation (SAZF, have announced a Solidarity Rally to show support for Israel, and call for peaceful negotiations to end the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The aim of the rally is to show support for Israel, and call for peaceful negotiations to end the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The rally has been postponed by a week to Sunday, August 3.
LATEST STATEMENT REGARDING SECURITY: The Fed issued a further statement today assuring the community that “there will be full security at the Solidarity Rally for Israel,” and that “there is also secure parking”. Thousands of South Africans supporting Israel will be attending, says the Fed’s statement issued on Wednesday, and “all precautionary measures have been taken into consideration”.
In a media release the SAZF says: “We call on Hamas to stop firing rockets on the civilian population of Israel, and to stop using the civilian population of Gaza as cover for its missiles, weapons and command structures.
“We declare that every civilian death in this conflict is a tragedy, says the Fed, adding that they are “urging all peace-loving people to attend the rally in an effort to nurture a rational and constructive move towards resolution.”
War crimes
The Fed says in their media statement that “Hamas’ continued attacks on Israel’s civilian population via continuous barrages of rockets, constitutes both terror and war crimes. Israel has a moral and legal obligation to defend itself against Hamas’ terror.
“The Palestinian people are not the enemies of Israel,” stresses the SA Zionist Federation, “Israel takes every possible precaution to protect not only its citizens, but civilians living in the Gaza Strip.”
Says the Fed’s invitation to the community and all South Africans: “The organisers have noted with concern an increase in neo-Nazi sentiment permeating the debate, and have recorded levels of anti-Semitic racism never before witnessed in South Africa.
“Despite this, overwhelming numbers of South Africans want to see an end to this conflict.
“Together with thousands of South Africans from all walks of life, join us and show your support for peace in the Middle East at the solidarity rally for Israel,” they say.
The Fed says they “declare that every civilian death in this conflict is a tragedy, and are urging all peace loving people to attend the rally in an effort to nurture a rational and constructive move towards resolution.”
So that’s: Sunday August 3 at Huddle Park between 14:00 and 16:00. Remember to take photo ID and a blanket to sit on as the right of admission is reserved.
Moseha
Jul 24, 2014 at 6:21 pm
‘Funny how Jewish people always push the statement of \”only defending their right to exist\”… Do you not stop once and realise that you took the Palestinians right to exist and continue to do so. Madiba would surely reject and has rejected inhumane treatment by Isaelis towards the Palestinians. Is this how you treat your neighbors? It’s worse than the darkest days of apartheid.
A parashah from the Torah, Leviticus chapter 19:33-34….
“And if a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall do him no wrong. The stranger that sojourns with you shall be like the home-born among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. I am the Eternal, your God.”
Shalom.’
Anti Jihad
Jul 27, 2014 at 3:49 am
‘You jihad muslims mistreat your own woman but are the firt to cry when you are being hit back. Go Isreal’
Riaan
Jul 29, 2014 at 12:35 pm
‘Idiots! All of you! Not one of you have done any research what israel is doing is wrong they are terrorists funded by the biggest terrorist in the world. Israel is not the israel everyone knows from the bible look it up! I’m not defending any religious beliefs here this is about being human!
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Hi user. You may actually believe what you are saying. And you will surely offend both our Israeli users and all diaspora Jewry – but in line with our policy as well as the SA and Israeli democracies and rights to freedom of speech, we post such insults. One wonders if the BDS or PSG websites would allow or delete reverse opinions from their websites? Just asking…
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online.editor@sajr,co,za
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allen
Aug 1, 2014 at 1:17 pm
‘Kenneth Meshoe, MP and leader of the African Christian Democratic Party, (ACDP) says Israel has a right to self defence. “If the ANC believes they have the right to defend Shell House, which is now called Luthuli House, then Israel should also have the right to defend herself against rockets fired at them by Hamas. This is their common-law right to self-defence.” He went on to quote President Mandela himself who admitted in Parliament in 1995 that he had given the order to defend Shell House during the IFP march, ‘even if they have to kill people. This is nothing more or less than a statement of the common-law right to self-defence’, Mandela said.
In his speech on the Presidency budget last week, Meshoe commended President Zuma for resisting the temptation to join the chorus of those who condemn Israel only in the conflict, noting government has taken a more neutral line, with President Jacob Zuma condemning both the Israeli military offensive as well as rockets fired into Israel by Hamas.
But it’s not only bombs. Hamas increased its building of terrorist tunnels into Israel to over 30 of them for infiltration to kill and kidnap Israelis. Hamas officials openly admit that children were used to help build their terror tunnels and that at least 160 Palestinian children died during so-called work accidents. The Wiesenthal Centre has urged the 47-Member UN Human Rights Council to investigate Hamas over the deaths. In an article of the Institute for Palestine Studies by Nicolas Pelham, he bewails, “Isn’t there a single member of the UNHRC, whether the US, Germany, UK, or France to stand up and demand accountability for Hamas’ barbarities, at least when the victims are Palestinian children? And where is the multitude of NGOs devoted to protecting children? Will they ever raise the target of their moral outrage at anyone in the Middle East other than Israel?”
Israel says its main focus of the offensive is to eliminate those tunnels; the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) says everything is taking place below ground which is a challenge. Analysts say Hamas’ underground strategy is in response to Israel’s effective drone surveillance and targeting from the air. “They must assume that everything they are doing above ground is being tracked by the IDF,” said Shlomo Brom, senior research fellow at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies. “They reached the logical conclusion they had to go underground.”
White House spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan says the US is “extremely concerned” that thousands of Palestinians aren’t safe in the UN-designated shelters in Gaza. The agency is sheltering more than 200 000 people displaced by the fighting at dozens of UN schools in Gaza where Israelis say militants have concealed weapons caches in schools, mosques and homes. Meehan said the US condemns those responsible for hiding weapons in UN facilities in Gaza, and that the escalation shows the need for a ceasefire as soon as possible.
In the International Affairs Budget vote speech in Parliament last week, Cheryllyn Dudley ACDP MP, noted that German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a news conference in Berlin said: “Both sides must accept painful compromises but we stand by the side of Israel when it comes to self-defence.” Merkel said that there was a “new quality” to weapons used by the Palestinian territory’s Hamas group against Israel and added that countries under attack must be allowed to defend themselves.
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Gary Selikow
Aug 3, 2014 at 4:07 pm
‘What a wonderful rally. Atmosphere, people of all races and both Jewish and Christian, speeches, vibe all incredible
The Muslims and ANC/SACP were unable to stop us declaring our undying attachment to the State of Israel’