The Global Anti-Apartheid Conference on Palestine, from May 10 to 12, 2024 in South Africa is poised to become a historic call to action to arrest the relentless aggression of Israel against the Palestinian people. MAHMOOD SANGLAY offers a perspective on the significance of this conference.
THE title of the conference is thoughtfully crafted. The words ‘global’ and ‘anti-apartheid’ are important signifiers of a sweeping vision and a politically progressive objective. Widespread global action and change are at the ambitions of this gathering.
Hosting this seminal conference in South Africa, a nation that dismantled its own brutal apartheid regime, is profoundly symbolic. South Africa’s journey from oppression to democracy embodies the resistance and liberation the conference seeks to champion for Palestine. Moreover, South Africa’s recent actions in holding Israel accountable at the International Court of Justice underscore its commitment to rallying the world against modern apartheid and settler colonialism.
The timing of the conference is painfully apt as most nations of the world remain spectators to the genocide by Israel in Gaza. Israel’s military operations have turned civilian areas into grim sites of death and destruction. This foregrounds the grave urgency of the conference and the need for a decisive global response.
Uniting the world against genocide and apartheid
The conference is distinguished by its global chorus of support, uniting voices from diverse nations, cultures and faiths against Israel’s apartheid and genocidal policies. The range of participants—from government representatives to grassroots activists—highlights the widespread support for Palestinian self-determination.
Click Here for a PDF of the conference programme.
In envisaging the dismantling of Israel as an apartheid state the conference draws parallels with the global movement that helped end apartheid in South Africa. It seeks to forge a powerful international alliance to isolate and pressure Israel into ending its apartheid regime.
The path toward dismantling Israeli apartheid through international cooperation is fraught with challenges, yet the conference provides a platform for crafting a coordinated global response. It is apt to ask if this strategic confluence could catalyse significant shifts in international policies and attitudes, potentially leading to more robust actions against the Israeli regime.
This gathering in Johannesburg could very well be a pivotal moment in the global anti-apartheid movement, mirroring the passion and purpose that once fueled the dismantling of apartheid in South Africa itself. The world is watching, and history may well look back at this event as a watershed moment finally heralding the liberation of the Palestinian people.
