Dozens of people lined the street opposite the Cape Town Holocaust and Genocide Centre on Tuesday, calling for the centre to recognise Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide. The vigil was organised by Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) and supported by several organisations, including SA Jews for a Free Palestine. It also markedInternational Dayof Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide.
Citing anAmnesty Internationalreport, organisers said genocide in Gaza was “increasingly recognised and documented”. There have been previous calls for the Centre to acknowledge genocide in Gaza. The group also wants the South African government to cut all ties with Israel.
“We gather to honour the Palestinians who have endured over two years of relentless genocidal violence by the Israeli apartheid regime,” the PSC said in a statement. “We stand with all victims of genocide, past and present, across the world. The principle is universal: no people’s suffering is more deserving of remembrance than another’s.” “Israel’s ongoing mass slaughter, starvation, forced displacement, and systematic destruction in Gaza, combined with escalating pogroms in the West Bank, constitute a grave breach of international law, including the absolute prohibition of genocide.
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We call on the Centre to uphold its ethical, moral and legal obligations.” Jakub Nowakowski, director of the Centre, told GroundUp: “I am relieved that a ceasefire has been reached in Gaza, and I hope it creates space for civilian recovery and for long-term solutions that enable peaceful coexistence between Palestinians and Israelis.” “However, I must disagree with the statements made by the protest organisers. The Genocide Convention clearly defines which bodies are authorised to determine whether specific acts meet the legal threshold for genocide. Amnesty International is not among those bodies.
“Asnoted previously, the Centre does not issue political statements; our mandate is educational. This was the case on 8 October, right after the attack conducted by Hamas, and [it] remains so today. This does not imply indifference to civilian suffering, whether in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, or elsewhere, but it does define the framework within which we operate.” Should the International Court of Justice determine that the situation in Gaza constitutes genocide, the Centre will adjust its educational programming accordingly, he added. More than 360 people, including at least 70 children, have been reported killed in Gaza since the ceasefire was announced in early October.
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