Over 300 healthcare workers, members of the public, organisations and public servants gathered at Sea Point Promenade in Cape Town on Friday evening for an interfaith vigil to honour healthcare workers and journalists killed in Palestine.
The vigil was hosted by Healthcare Workers 4 Palestine South Africa and humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers.
In attendance was Positively Muslims, the Anglican Church, South African Jews For a Free Palestine, Former South African Ambassador to the United States Ebrahim Rasool, and Father Lapsley.
There was also a visible police presence.
Rasool said during his speech: “This is not a religious struggle, it is a struggle about dispossession.
“It is not a struggle of faith against faith, it is a struggle of land occupation. This is is a struggle to free the people of Palestine and to give back their land and to ensure justice is prevailed.”
He reiterated the difference between Jews and Zionists and thanked the Jewish population for their support in the plight.
“We must not be dehumanised in anger. We must always maintain difference between political idealogy of Zionism and a respected religion that our Quran speaks about. And if we can maintain that, we redeem Judaism and we redeem ourselves from becoming dehumanised,” Rasool said.
It was also announced that South Africa filed a case at International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of ‘genocidal acts’ in Gaza.
Later a statement was released which said the country has filed an application instituting proceedings against Israel before the ICJ concerning alleged violations by Israel of its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in relation to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
According to the Application, "acts and omissions by Israel ... are genocidal in character, as they are committed with the requisite specific intent... to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a part of the broader Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group" and that "the conduct of Israel - through its State organs, State agents, and other persons and entities acting on its instructions or under its direction, control or influence in relation to Palestinians in Gaza, is in violation of its obligations under the Genocide Convention".
The Applicant further states that "Israel, since October 7, 2023, in particular, has failed to prevent genocide and has failed to prosecute the direct and public incitement to genocide" and that "Israel has engaged in, is engaging in and risks further engaging in genocidal acts against the Palestinian people in Gaza".
IOL