The House is slated to vote on Tuesday to declare “the United States will always be a staunch partner and supporter of Israel” and that Israel is “not a racist or apartheid state.” Chip Gibbons states: “The Democratic ‘leadership’ can’t pass the Pro Act, codify Roe, or defend the right to vote, but have all the energy in the world to defend an apartheid state.”
Today is Nelson Mandela International Day.
Shortly after being released from prison, Nelson Mandela spoke for the first time at a special session of the United Nations, singling out solidarity with “Palestine and Western Sahara.” “We commend their struggles to you, convinced that we are all moved by the fact that freedom is indivisible, convinced that the denial of the rights of one diminishes the freedom of others.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog is meeting Biden Tuesday and speaking to Congress Wednesday.
On Monday, Israel announced that it was recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, inhabited by the indigenous Sahrawi people, which Morocco invaded in 1975.
The U.S. government claims to be against the Russian annexation of parts of Ukraine as a matter of principle, but it has recognized Israel’s annexation of Palestinian and Syrian land.
In 2020, Trump recognized the Moroccan annexation of Western Sahara in return for Morocco recognizing Israel. The U.S. and Israel are the only countries that recognize Morocco’s annexation.
South Africa’s Minister of International Relations, Naledi Pandor, earlier this year called on the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants for the “leaders of apartheid Israel.” Also, see: “Mandela’s grandson faces racist abuse over Western Sahara solidarity.”
MUBARAK AWAD, mubarak@nonviolenceinternational.net, @NVIntlAwad is founder of Nonviolence International. He is of Palestinian origin and was illegally deported by Israel. He has visited Western Sahara, working with activists from there in their struggle. See material on Western Sahara, Israeli apartheid and illegal annexations from the group.
He said today: “The Biden administration claims to support a rules based order when it comes to Ukraine. I call on President Biden to apply the same international rules to Israel and Morocco. The Palestinians and Saharawis are suffering invasion, occupation and annexation with U.S. support. This must stop.”
SALKA BARCA, sbarca@karamasahara.org, @KaramaSaharaUSA
Barca is a native Saharawi and coordinator of a feminist human rights group, Karama Sahara, based in Maryland. She said today: “The Israeli official recognition of Moroccan ‘annexation’ is not a surprise. The Israeli regime has long been collaborating with the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara. The Israelis provide Morocco with ongoing intelligence training, drones, and technology to repress and kill the Saharawis as the Israelis are doing to the Palestinians. The U.S. is deeply responsible for both occupations and it is shameful.”
