Johannesburg - The Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) has called on the international community to transform the International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian people into action to protect human rights and defenders.
In a statement, SALC said that the people of Palestine need more than our solidarity.
“The need for decisive action by the international community and the United Nations has never been more crucial. The closure of civic spaces is only one symptom of how oppressive regimes attempt to maintain their power,” added the statement.
In September, SALC and over 120 civil society organisations from across Africa signed a statement calling for the international community to end the suffering of the people of Palestine and Myanmar.
Today, the centre has written to the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and the Special Rapporteur on human rights Francesca Albanese in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, seeking them to transform this day into action.
Amnesty International said it also stood with the people of Palestine on this day as they demanded their rights in the face of Israel’s relentless attacks.
Amnesty International South Africa’s executive director, Shenilla Mohamed, said they called on all their supporters around the world to demonstrate their solidarity by speaking out, however they can, to demand an end to Israel’s apartheid.
“With violations by Israeli authorities mounting and Palestinian civil society under unprecedented assault, Palestinians need international support now more than ever. We are urging the international community to suspend any form of support, whether direct or indirect, through action or inaction, to Israel’s apartheid system,” she said.
The Star