Since 2005, the annual global Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) has been commemorated around the world in solidarity with the people of Palestine. This year, IAW was once again commemorated at the University of Pretoria, but for the first time under the newly re-established Palestinian Solidarity Committee at the University of Pretoria (PSC- UP).
PSC-UP is an organisation founded on the basis of human rights, which advocates for an intersectional and inclusive South African solidarity with the people of Palestine. IAW has two main aims: to raise awareness about Israel’s ongoing Apartheid policies over the Palestinian people, and to build support for the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Under the banner United Against Racism, this year IAW planned to shed light on the role of culture, art in particular, as a form of resistance against oppression.
Keeping with the theme, for IAW 2022, PSC-UP organised and hosted a poetry and struggle songs event with members from several other student societies participating and in attendance. To raise funds, PSC-UP held a cupcake sale, along with a Dabke demonstration and the promotion of Firoz Osman’s brilliant new book, ‘Shattering Zionist Myths’, which sets the record straight by refuting 100 claims, which Zionists and their supporters make to justify Israel’s Apartheid. Along with other PSC’s, PSC-UP also participated in a panel discussion with students from South African and Palestinian universities, around the topic of building sustainable student solidarity networks.
PSC-UP’s last IAW event was centred around the watermelon, as a symbol of Palestine. After the Six Day Arab-Israeli War (1967) Israel banned the Palestinian flag from being on display. As the watermelon’s colours closely resemble that of the Palestinian flag (red, green, white, and black), Palestinians carried slices of watermelon as a form of resistance and protest. PSC-UP handed out slices of watermelon to students on campus, spreading awareness about the continuing illegitimate occupation of Palestine by Apartheid Israel and advocating for not only basic human rights preservation, but equally, the dignity and humanity of Palestine.
Overall PSC-UP had an extremely successful IAW, and is looking forward to a productive year ahead in the struggle for a free Palestine. This is not to say, however, that the week was without challenges or opposition, albeit baseless, posed by SAUJS, a student society which made it their aim to spread Zionist Hasbara (propaganda) on campus, throughout the week. In what can only be described as absurdity SAUJ’s theme for the week was: “Heal over Hate”. It is bitterly ironic that the ‘hate’ SAUJS alluded to was not the systematic oppression and domination through territorial fragmentation, segregation, and control of the brutal and illegitimate Israeli Apartheid regime. According to SAUJS it is not the ‘hate’ demonstrated by Israel’s racist measures amounting to ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people but, farcically, the BDS and other Palestine solidarity movements that they are referring to! In contrast to the gross violations of human rights and war crimes committed by Apartheid Israel, BDS and Palestine Solidarity movements, such as PSC-UP, are the very antithesis of ‘hateful’. They are anchored on the principles set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that stipulates, “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights” and everyone is entitled to all fundamental rights “without distinction of any kind” as demonstrated in PSC-UP’s events throughout the week.
As with Apartheid South Africa, the international community must heed the Palestinian call for BDS and play its part to end Apartheid, in solidarity with the Palestinian resistence, through actions to isolate apartheid Israel. Ultimately, ‘hate’ can only dissipate once the apartHATE regime of Israel is dismantled and Palestinians can only begin to ‘heal’ from the Nakba once the occupation of historic Palestine comes to an end and freedom, equal rights, and justice prevail.
