Mandla Mandela calls for Israel to be charged after Palestinian toddler dies
Muhammad and his father were hit by Israeli Defence Force fire near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on Thursday
By Faizel Patel
Mandla Mandela has called for “apartheid Israel” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be charged for state terrorism for the killing of two-year-old Palestinian Muhammad Tamimi.
Tamimi, who was shot in the head by Israeli soldiers, died from his wounds on Monday.
The toddler and his father, Haytham Tamimi, were hit by Israeli fire near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on Thursday.
Toddler shot
Middle East Eye reported the pair were in their parked car outside their home in Nabi Saleh village when they were shot.
Haytham was shot in the chest and taken to a hospital in Ramallah, while Muhammad suffered a gunshot wound to the head and evacuated to an Israeli hospital, where he remained on life support until he was pronounced dead.
The Israeli military said it mistook the toddler and his father for “Palestinian fighters”.
The grandson of South Africa’s late president Nelson Mandela said the passing of Tamimi was “another act of brutality”.
“This has come to represent the daily atrocities perpetrated by apartheid Israel against innocent Palestinians. Those responsible must be charged with his murder and Netanyahu, his regime and those who act in consort with them have the blood of this innocent child on their hands.”
‘Netanyahu must be charged’
Mandela said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must be charged.
“We are appalled by this level of inhumanity and the ongoing crimes against humanity and call for immediate charges to be brought by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Netanyahu.
“Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands and its continued expansion of illegal settlements in violation of international law is the cause of these acts of brutality, ethnic cleansing and systematic genocide,” said Mandela.
Justice
Mandela has called for justice for Tamimi and other Palestinian children that have lost their lives in the conflict.
“His death brings the number of children brutally killed by apartheid Israel in 2023 alone to almost 40 and the number of Palestinians killed by apartheid Israel to nearly 200. It is inconceivable that the UN Convention on the Rights of Children carries zero weight for the perpetrators of these heinous crimes against humanity.
“We will not rest until the perpetrators of these crimes are brought to justice,” added Mandela.
Mandela accused of being ‘inflammatory’
In response to Mandela, the South African Friends of Israel (SAFI) said his words are “inflammatory”.
“A minor was tragically caught in the crossfire when Palestinian gunmen (hiding in civilian areas) fought with Israeli defence forces. Sadly, Mandela fails to understand the context of Israel’s need to defend itself against Palestinian extremists who deliberately target innocent Israeli civilians against the backdrop of multiple Palestinian terror attacks this year,” said SAFI’s head of communications Bafana Modise.
SAFI said Mandela’s statement ignores the complexity of the conflict.
“He ignores the fact that a number of Israeli minors have also lost their lives to this war, and in some cases, Israeli families have had to bury their mothers and several siblings, following just one terrorist shooting attack,” said Modise.
He added that Mandela should instead try and “encourage Palestinians to choose a path towards peace”.
SOURCE : Mandela calls for Israel to be charged after Palestinian toddler dies (citizen.co.za)
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ALSO READ: WATCH: Mandla Mandela condemns Israel’s war on children
SEE: Palestinian toddler shot by Israeli soldiers dies – BBC News
MORE THAN 3, 000 PALESTINIAN CHILDREN KILLED SINCE THE YEAR 2000: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170601-report-israel-killed-3000-palestinian-children-since-2000/
***PAJU NOTE TO BULLETIN NO. 1164
Palestinian and Jewish Unity (PAJU) hereby expresses its unconditional support for the statement issued by Mandla Mandela regarding the cold-blooded murder of two-year old Palestinian infant, Muhammad Tamimi by Israeli soldiers. The call for Benjamin Netanyahu to be charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Court, considering his continued development of the illegal settlements and targeted killings of Palestinians, is entirely legitimate by virtue of International Law. (The illegal Israeli settlements on the occupied Palestinian territories are one of the crimes committed as a war crime under the Statute of Rome Article (8/2/b/8) https://www.icc-cpi.int/sites/default/files/RelatedRecords/CR2020_01038.PDF)
We furthermore denounce the unacceptable white-washing of Israeli crimes by the South African Friends of Israel (SFAI). The latter accuse Mandla Mandela of ‘inflammatory’ speech while looking askance at the brutal and dehumanizing use of state-sponsored terrorism against the Palestinian civilian population in the occupied Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.
Like the legions of supporters of Western colonial projects spanning the 20th century, these SFAI spokesmen stand in the tradition of the White Afrikaner guardians of South African apartheid driven from power years ago. Were we to follow the ‘logic’ of these pro-Israel Apartheid devotees, we would have to denounce the legitimate use of armed resistance on the part of the African National Congress to free South Africa of its apartheid regime.
May it be noted that Nelson Mandela was still on Washington’s ‘terrorism list’ in 2004, although he had been President of South Africa for a decade. Imperialists have always referred to their victims as ‘terrorists.’ International law recognizes the rights of civilian populations to defend their territory and their civil rights by the force of arms while under a hostile military occupation. This was the case of India’s population under British occupation; this was the case of Algeria and Indo-China (now Vietnam) under French rule; this was the case of Nicaragua under a U.S. supported dictatorial regime; this is the case of Palestinians under Israel’s illegal occupation and its brutal apartheid regime.
We suggest that the SFAI’s attempt to draw a parallel between the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians combating apartheid and the significantly fewer deaths of Israelis who, in effect, are themselves victims of the spiraling violence caused by the Occupation, is unpalatable. We also suggest that the SFAI change its name from South African Friends of Israel to South African Friends of Apartheid.
We all remember the point in time when South Africa’s chief rabbi, Warren Goldstein, accused Judge Richard Goldstone – whose report on Israel’s murderous assault on Gaza in 2008 was branded as ‘delegitimizing Israel’ – of’ being a liar’. The South African Jewish Board of Deputies accused Goldstone of ‘selling out’. They went so far as to threaten to prevent his grandson’s Bar Mitzvah from taking place. (https://www.commondreams.org/views/2010/05/06/price-courage-goldstones-bar-mitzvah-and-finkelsteins-book)
To the SFAI: Do not attempt to do to Mandla Mandela what you did to Richard Goldstone. There is a price to be paid for intellectual dishonesty!
