Dr MQNDLOZI: House Chairperson, we are here to stand with Palestine. We are here to take sides in favour of the oppressed, condemn Israel and declare that it is a murderous apartheid regime engaged in the systematic extermination of Palestinians. It is not a single event. They are engaged in a system permanently subjecting Palestinians to racial humiliation. Wedo this because we understand that our freedom here was attained through massive international solidarity by peoples of the world, 90% of which had never set foot here. It is in this context that we are responding to the suffering of people who live thousands of kilometres from South Africa. We know that we are international citizens.

As we stand here, Israel has massacred over 10 000 Palestinians in Gaza under their military assault, killing children, and bombing churches, hospitals, and schools. Many have been painting Palestinians who have responded over half a century to Israeli systematic oppression as terrorists. But we know the label of terrorists very well because it is a label that was given to Mandela, it is a label that was given to Sobukwe, it is a label that was given to the Bill to the liberation movement.

The Israeli state was formed in 1948 with the full support of Western powers through forced removals and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, fact. It was inaugurated as a Jewish-only state where Palestinians who have the right to the land are not allowed to return. Yet, any Jewish person who was not born there, who has never been there can go and obtain citizenship with immediate effect. They control the movement of people through thousands of military checkpoints. They have built a wall and a fence around Gaza, controlling the entry and exit of people and goods.

There are separate roads for Palestinians and Jewish people around many Jewish settlements in Palestine. Palestinians do not enjoy the freedom to demonstrate against their oppressor, they get arrested and they even get killed. Thousands of Palestinians are arrested without trial, even charged in Israeli military courts. The world knows this and when Palestinians respond they are called terrorists.

The Israeli state is fundamentally racist. Nobody must be allowed to coexist with a fundamentally racist state. You can't be asked in the interest of the values of our Constitution to recognise the racist state whose establishment is for a Jewish-only people at the expense of Palestinians. Why would you do that? Those are the facts. This is not a religious war, Moruti [the priest], it's an evil war it is not a holy war. There are no people who have a God's right to be superior to anyone. The Israelites don't represent the Jewish communities of the world they represent Zionism and racism. It must be said here. Whoever supports them supports racism.

So, what is South Africa doing in a relationship with a racist regime? If they are engaged in a genocidal exercise, Minister Naledi Pandor, why are you recalling people for consultation when it is clear that there is genocide? Why are we friends with people who are violating the values of our Constitution? Why are we friends with people who are massacring children in hospitals and schools? What must happen, what must be said before the whole world isolates Israel?

Palestinians for the longest time never asked you for a single bullet, which they should have because they've got the right to fight even with military arms against the racist regime. They have asked you for a simple thing, isolate Israel the way the world isolated apartheid. When are you doing that? Let's cut all ties because a relationship with Israel as South Africans offends our constitutional values. It offends any rational thinking about co-existence, it offends peace. We should recall the ambassadors, everybody, we should fire the ambassador of Israel. We can't be friends with Israel until they establish a society in compliance with international law on one hand and recognise the right of Palestinians to co- exist. I wish for once in our lives we could be on the right side of history. Let's sever all ties with racists. Thank you.

Ms H O MKHALIPHI: The good doctor.