AUK Delegation Meets with South African High Commissioner to the UK

28 January 2024

A delegation made of representatives of the UK’s Arab community met today with His Excellency Jeremiah Nyamane Mamabolo, High Commissioner for the Republic of South Africa in the UK.

The delegation led by AUK, aimed to express the Arab community’s gratitude to South Africa for the case it had presented to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against the Israeli genocide against the civilians of Gaza, and presented a plaque to His Excellency and gifts representing Palestinian culture to His Excellency.

His Excellency spoke of South Africa’s commitment to defending the people of Palestine and reflected upon South Africa’s own struggle against Apartheid, confirming the significance of this move to address the heinous crimes committed by Israel over the past 109 days particularly.

Members of the delegation also spoke, expresing their support of South Africa’s stand and gratitude to the government and people of South Africa for the continuous support for Palestine and all just causes around the world.

Dr.Anas Altikriti, Director of the Cordoba Foundation for Intercultural Dialogue, began the meeting by saying:

“He attended on behalf of 22 Arab countries and in coordination with AUK Platform to express thanks and appreciation to His Excellency the High Commissioner of the Republic of South Africa and his honorable state and people for the support that they’ve provided to the Palestinian people, Especially at this time when the international community is silent about the genocide taking place against the Palestinian people in the occupied territories.”

Mr Tikriti added “that South Africa has a great legacy in standing by the freedom of peoples, and has a previous experience led by leader Nelson Mandela, and this is what adds greater specialness to South Africa’s standing with Palestine today.”

“The case that South Africa filed with the International Court of Justice against Israel’s crimes is considered a great historical event, a stance that will not be forgotten by the peoples of the world and an appreciated effort by the South African authorities and their legal teams.”

“I ask Your Excellency to kindly accept a souvenir offered by the Arab Platform as an expression of thanks and appreciation to you.”

Then the AlArab in uk chairman, Mr. Adnan Hmidan, presented a commemorative shield, an engraved heritage plate made by Palestinian hands, and the Palestinian keffiyeh, which the attendees had the honor of placing on the shoulders of His Excellency the High Commissioner.

Mr. Sabah Mukhtar- President of the Arab Lawyers Association in turn said:

“The right does not lapse no matter how long it takes. I say with all honesty that I have never seen during my whole career a more accurate and thorough lawsuit than the one filed by South Africa to the ICJ. It was very strong and successful, because it has the actions and intents of the Israelis, the 38 pages of the lawsuit contains volumes of important information.”

Mr. Mukhtar also cited the wars and conflicts in the Middle East region, commenting: “I myself witnessed a violent war in my country, but I have not seen a war more brutal than the war being waged against the civilians of Gaza. Unfortunately, these crimes are filmed live, where we see children under the rubble. It makes the natural reaction of any human being around the world to sympathize with these oppressed people.”

Added: “This lawsuit puts international law to the test, Because we all know that the decisions of the International Criminal Court always collide with politics, but the International Court of Justice is subject to the laws of the United Nations itself, So let us hope that international law will be applied to achieve justice for the oppressed Palestinian people this time.”

Mrs. Mona Adam, Green Party candidate for parliament who resigned from the Labor Party recently, said:

“I’ve resigned because of the Labor Party’s failure to adhere to humanitarian standards when it rejected a ceasefire in Gaza, which was a shameful reaction.”

Mrs. Adam also expressed her sadness at the scenes she saw daily of Gazan children praying to God to end the persecution against them. Ended: “and They were wonder how God will respond to us? and the response came from South Africa”

“Although there are strong and rich Arab countries that are more likely to defend their brothers, the response came from South Africa. It does not matter where you are from or what your background is, there will always be a goodness hand that appears at a critical time to save you. Thank you, South Africa.”

For his part, Ibrahim Khadra – Palestinian British Journalist said:

“The matter did not start on October 7, as some say. I am from Gaza. My family remembers well what the Israeli occupation did to them when it displaced them in 1948 from Ashkelon in north to Gaza with many refugees, and they did not live in peace until this moment.”

“Your Excellency, Israel does what it does, Because no one in the world holds it accountable. Therefore, we feel proud of South Africa, just as its honorable president felt when he said that he had never been as proud as he is today when he saw their legal teams discussing the case in court.” he added.

Mr. Khadra ended by saying:”Whatever the outcome of the lawsuit, we are thankful to South Africa for giving us the hope that we began to lose in this world. South Africa have given us a reason to continue standing and struggling.”

Mrs. Zainab Kamal – Academic & Educational expert said:

“It is very important that we make history together now. Our history as Palestinians is full of tragedies and this is what we have passed down through the generations. My family remained displaced between countries until they settled here in London, so we want to make a new history, in which we demand our right to return, we demand freedom for Palestine.”

Added: “South Africa did this with the lawsuit, regardless of the outcome. This urges us to continue demanding our rights, and gives courage to our future generations to continue the struggle, to be part of the law, to be part of history.”

“We will speak with pride and say, yes, we are Palestinians, we are in the diaspora. The question today is not whether Israel is committing genocide, absolutely it is, but the question today is when will we return to our homeland? For us we are now making history now, so thanks again.”

As Kareem Dennis (lowkey) – Iraqi British influencer & writer & rapper said:

“Both the peoples of South Africa and Palestine suffered from the settler colonists, but what South Africa did today is not only bring Israel to trial for its crimes, but also hold the global judiciary accountable for its silence, we’ll determine the integrity of this institution of going forward – Referring to the ICJ”.

And added: “We will soon see the revenge of history, We all remember when the whole world stood against the apartheid in South Africa, Israel in 1975 established the joint secretariat of political and psychological warfare with the apartheid rulers there.”

“Over the past months, we have witnessed the most horrific violations against human rights, we have seen the largest number of dead children in our entire lives, and we were in a state of indescribable grief, until the proud Republic of South Africa soothed our hearts.”

In turn, Dr. Omar Abdelmannan – Egyptian British Paediatric Neurologist said:

“I am speaking on behalf of the medical staff who are constantly targeted by Israel, even more than civilians. This shows that what is happening is systematic killing. Many of my fellow medical staff lost their lives due to Israeli bombing of hospitals, and others were tortured simply because they were doctors or nurses, So For South Africa to put itself in this position is a lifesaver.”

“I have visited Gaza previously and I tell you that I felt like I was in my homeland. The Gazans are very generous. I am not saying this as a complimentary, They are really generous. Many of my colleagues British doctors who have no racial or ethnic connection to this land were crying when what happened to Gaza, and this is because they know the beauty and kindness of the people. Palestinian, and so am I.”

Added: “And likewise when I visited South Africa in 2012, I found the same kindness and generosity in Cape Town, and that is what links them, And that is what makes the Palestinians and South Africans so alike.

In conclusion, His Excellency the High Commissioner of the Republic of South Africa to the United Kingdom commented on the attendees’ interventions, saying:

“Palestine doesn’t has the support of only South Africa, but the entire world, You have not only support from us, but full support. We admire the courage of the Palestinian people. Everyone used to tell us when we were struggling that there is no benefit, you will not gain anything, but we used to say, especially to the colonial countries, no matter how much you destroy and bomb, you will not win.”

Added: “I want to tell you that Israel does not randomly target doctors, journalists, and activists. Rather, all of this is systematic because it wants to kill hope. This group of society is influential and is the one that nourishes the steadfastness of the struggling people, so they are targeted by Israel.”

“We will convey your message from our meeting today to our leadership. Of course there are parties who will not like the outcomes of our meeting today, but these are our principles and there are no alternatives. They may punish us in the future because we insist on demanding the rights of the Palestinian people, and they know deep down that they know the truth, and Israel is starting to cause them embarrassment.”

“I also want to tell you that international positions have begun to change thanks to the pressure exerted by people on their governments. In the beginning, most governments were against the ceasefire. Now they have begun to address the situation and say, “We are not talking about the humanitarian aspect, because no sane person accepts these crimes and the killing of children and women.” This cannot be accepted, and this is not a self-defense, but a blatant violations.”

His Excellency ended by thanking all the guests and looking forward to other meetings in the future.

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