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Nelson Mandela and the killers of children in Gaza
Mandela and all his successors have consistently likened Israel’s brutal treatment of the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank to the past apartheid regime of South Africa.
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A child stands next to a building damaged during an Israeli raid at the Nur Shams camp for Palestinian refugees near the occupied West Bank city of Tulkarm on Jan. 4, 2024. (AFP/Zain Jaafar)
"We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians," the late Nelson Mandela said in a speech after winning the first all-race South African presidential election in 1994, three years after he succeeded in eternally outlawing the apartheid system. Now, the nation leads the global campaign to end Israeli's devastation of Palestine.
South Africa has brought Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to stop what it says are the genocidal acts committed by the Israeli military forces against the Palestinians in Gaza. The trial will likely last for years, and Israel does not seem worried about it at all.
"Our opposition to the ongoing slaughter of the people of Gaza has driven us as a country to approach the ICJ," said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. "As a people who once tasted the bitter fruits of dispossession, discrimination, racism and state-sponsored violence, we are clear that we will stand on the right side of history."
Indonesia, as well as many other countries, has openly expressed its support for South Africa’s move, even though Jakarta is not a party to the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said Indonesia had been a consistent supporter of Palestine's independence. Some may think she just wanted to steal the show, but nobody would doubt her statement reflected the emotions of the Indonesian people in response to the ongoing killings in Gaza.
"Indonesia supports the efforts of the UN General Assembly to obtain an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice. International law must be upheld. The right of the Palestinian people to self-determination must be respected. Israel's occupation of Palestine, which has lasted for more than 70 years, will not erase the right of the Palestinian people to independence," Retno said.
Last week, The Jakarta Post published a deeply touching poster of empty shoes laid by a protester in front of the US Embassy in Jakarta. The poster read, "Remember, more than 9,280 children of Gaza were murdered”. And "Remembering 100 days of genocide". The shoes symbolize the death of children in Gaza.
Supporters of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) were quick to mock minister Retno because they contend it is morally inconsistent for Indonesia not to allow Papua to have its independence while supporting Palestinian independence.
