Life for Palestinians, Finding Common Grounds

By: Dr Shereeza Mohamed Saniff

Every year on the 18th of July, marks the “Nelson Mandela International Day”. Nelson Mandela has been recognised for his life’s dedication to the service of humanity, to fight for equality. He was a human rights lawyer, a political prisoner of the apartheid-based government from 1964 to 1990, an international peacemaker, and was instrumental to the collapse of South Africa’s racist apartheid system. His accomplishments are now celebrated each year on July 18th which was declared by the United Nation as Nelson Mandela International Day.

In commemoration of Nelson Mandela International Day, this opinion seeks to find common grounds on Nelson Mandela’s struggles throughout the reign of apartheid in South Africa, with the current Palestinians’ struggles and fight for freedom in their own land. For the United Nations to declare in 2009, that the 18th of July is annually dedicated to Nelson Mandela, is astoundingly significant indeed. Who is Nelson Mandela that he is accorded such a tribute by the United Nations and why are his actions in his lifetime to free South Africa from apartheid is of significance to those who, with the struggles of Palestinians, strive to achieve “Palestine: A Nation for All”?

The tribute accorded to Nelson Mandela proved the depth of his commitment and struggles for freedom. His vision was clear, and his mission carried a firm resolve – “Our march to freedom is irreversible. We must not allow fear to stand in our way.” That astute tenacity to achieve his ideals saw the end of the white-minority supremacy, giving way to an inclusive society that does not discriminate the white in a black-majority country.

To read and understand the Nelson Mandela’s Walk to Freedom, is to dive into his fight and passion for the freedom of his country. His words remain an inspiration that can move thousands.

“I have had to separate myself from my dear wife and children, from my mother and sisters, to live as an outlaw in my own land. I have had to close my business, to abandon my profession, and live in poverty and misery, as many of my people are doing. … I shall fight the government side by side with you, inch by inch, and mile by mile, until victory is won.”

The vision of victory pushed him to persevere for his ideals as he called for his fellow countrymen to fight alongside him to attain freedom and end the subjugation of discriminatory practices that they had to face. A similar situation can be observed in Palestine. There are notable prejudicial practices (read apartheid) that are imposed upon the Palestinians, which are enjoyed by the Israelis occupying the land that was once owned by the people of Palestine. Most Palestinians are denied the rights of citizenship, and ownership to settlements. They are not afforded the same due process and civil rights as Israelis, have no easy access to labour laws, are inflicted with travel restrictions through occupied territories and forbidden by law to stay out late.

It takes one man to move a nation. The story of the struggles, the fight and the resoluteness contained within a man known as Nelson Mandela and the success ensued due to his firm determination, as well as the overwhelming support he received, both from within the country and abroad, are among the ingredients that had caused the end of the discriminatory apartheid.

However, apartheid remains within our midst, especially in Palestine. Apartheid is a direct by-product of colonialism. The colonialists leave behind the legacy that placed migrant minorities in power to displace and discriminate against the majority local population. Just as the struggles of South Africa during the regime of apartheid, it has now come to a pressing time for Palestinians’ to be given back their fundamental right to return to their homeland, their freedom. While in South Africa, the rainbow nation that Mandela envisioned has now become a reality, the Palestinians’ sufferings have persisted for 75 long years and sadly still counting.

Based on Amnesty International (2022), Israel introduced laws, policies, and practices that systematically and cruelly discriminate against Palestinians, leaving them fragmented geographically and politically, in constant state of fear and insecurity and often impoverished. Besides that, mass expulsion of hundred thousands of Palestinians and the destruction of hundreds of Palestinian villages was conducted, amounting to ethnic cleansing.

Article 1 of The Apartheid Convention declares that apartheid is a crime against humanity and that “inhuman acts resulting from the policies and practices of apartheid and similar policies and practices of racial segregation and discrimination” are international crimes while Article 2 defines the crime of apartheid –“which shall include similar policies and practices of racial segregation and discrimination as practised in southern Africa” – as covering “inhuman acts committed for the purpose of establishing and maintaining domination by one racial group of persons over any other racial group of persons and systematically oppressing them”.

What was once seemingly an impossible dream, Nelson Mandela had proven and is continuously proving to the world that the voice of the vast majority globally can help to end apartheid for good. It is time that the world joins in hands again if not in equal fervour but heightened fervour to call for end towards Israel apartheid and for Palestinians to be accorded equal rights in their own homeland.

In conjunction with the Nelson Mandela International Day, Malaysian Research and Education Foundation (MyREF) and Allied Coordinating Committee of Islamic NGOs (ACCIN) through Justice for Palestine Action Front (JPAF) initiative are calling on all parties to take up the spirit of Nelson Mandela’s struggle, which did not give up in fighting for social justice for a period of 67 years. Therefore, the Palestinian people must unite and fight relentlessly to free the country from Israel apartheid. This scenario also coincides with the theme of Nelson Mandela International Day this year which is “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are”.