UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, encouraged people to use the power of their consumerism and to protest with their rands when she addressed a packed Groote Kerk in Cape Town.

Interfaith Capetonians came out in their droves on Sunday to pack the church to listen to Albanese and hear a discussion on justice, accountability, and the future of international law in the face of ongoing apartheid and genocide in Palestine.

Proceedings first began with a recollection of the history of the church, a reading from various interfaith leaders, performances of poems and music.

Shortly after Albanese’s arrival, Reverend Rene August from SA Christians for a Free Palestine apologised to her for the court papers that were delivered by a sheriff acting on an unauthorised instruction issued by an official in the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development.

The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, ordered the immediate withdrawal of court papers that were irregularly served without the knowledge or approval of either the Minister or the Director-General.

August spoke out against the actions purportedly made by the Christian Friends of Israeli Communities, Christians for Israel, USA, by directly addressing them when she said, “Your Christianity is incompatible with Jesus”.

Albanese touched on a range of issues when she appeared in Cape Town, but she highlighted that intervening for Palestine is not an act of charity, but an act of uniting the struggles.

“The reason why there are still so many brothers and sisters in shantytowns a few kilometres from here, and in Soweto, is that apartheid has been removed, maybe, from the legal documents, but the underpinning structures of occupation and exploitation are still there.

“It is true for the South Africans, and it will be true for the Palestinians, but right now we need to help them. Right now, we need to help them as others have helped the South African freedom fighters to bring down the apartheid regime. Now, we need to help the Palestinians, and the Palestinians will help you finish the job of uprooting colonialism from this continent once and for all,” Albanese said.

She said that no one has respected the law, and has not respected cutting ties with Israel.

She also touched on those who left their countries to serve in the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) and that “they need to be considered suspect”.

“The police need to investigate them. If there is evidence that they have committed crimes, they have to be prosecuted, and if the judges have concluded that they have committed crimes, they have to be convicted.

“This applies to nationals and Israelis who come here to rest from the massacres,” Albanese said.

Albanese touched on a range of issues when she appeared in Cape Town, telling people that the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement should help guide them as “we have powers as consumers”.

“BDS is to be the philosophy of the country, from top down, right and left… If you are an individual, you boycott, if you are a business, you divest; and if you are a civil servant, you find a way for the government to cut ties with the apartheid state of Israel.”

While Albanese didn’t shy away from criticising the government for its continued supply of coal to Israel, she commended South Africa for bringing its case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

“I wouldn’t say that South Africa hasn’t done anything…While I criticise the South African government on a number of things, it has done so much in terms of holding a principled stance, and opening the doors for others to come and follow, with the ICJ case, but also the Hague group,” she said.

“Bringing the case has been enormous. There are other countries, including in this region, that could have done it. South Africa went ahead alone, and risked huge repercussions from the United States and others because the systems get easily infiltrated by the Zionist forces that operate at the heart of every state.”

Reverend Alan Boesak, who also addressed attendees after the discussion, said that South Africa’s supply of coal must be stopped.

“It is true the genocide is not over… We will not end our protest, we will not stifle our indignation… Go find your anger, go find your courage.”

Albanese will be in Cape Town for a day, during which she will also be remotely addressing the United Nations on her report “Gaza Genocide: a collective crime”, as she was sanctioned by the United States, which bars her from travelling to the country.

theolin,tembo@inl.co.za

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