Iqbal Jassat
David Saks of the SA Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) denies Israel’s bloodbath of Palestinians in besieged Gaza.
If he takes a hard look in the mirror, he will find his own quote (below) applicable to him and the SAJBD:
“There is ultimately no possibility of ever reasoning with those who have all the necessary evidence before them yet choose to state the exact opposite of what it shows. Their assertions, however strident, can only be dismissed as the non-reasoning of crackpots and conspiracy theorists.”
Zionist-perpetrated slaughter in Gaza has been roundly condemned by credible human rights organisations as genocide and a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.
Unlike Saks’ vain attempt to anchor his blinkered view on false allegations blaming Hamas of “rapes, beheading and worse” on October 7, analysts, researchers and media probes by credible sources, dispute its veracity.
In fact, some have argued that to justify and to whitewash the horrendous massacres in Gaza, Israel and its Hasbara (propaganda) units have revived these outrageous and utterly false claims.
Electronic Intifada’s livestream dissected this propaganda campaign which revealed, unsurprisingly, that it is being fronted by operatives close to the office of Benjamin Netanyahu.
What it also exposes is a racist stereotype to demean Palestinians.
This deceptive campaign is based not on evidence but emotional manipulation and distortion to reinforce racist notions of violence and cruelty being an Arab trait.
British journalist Yvonne Ridley reminds us that Israel has a very long history of deceit and in a rare moment of candor, Netanyahu spoke the truth when he admitted lying without a hint of irony at such honesty.
Justifying his blatant lies to the world, he quoted the Bible: “As has been said, ‘by way of deception, thou shalt do war’, and that’s how we operate.”
However, the savagery unleashed in Gaza by settler colonial #ApartheidIsrael in full view of global media audiences, has not only shocked and outraged the world, it has also been condemned by Jewish activists in South Africa and more importantly, in the heartland of the racist zionist-policy enablers: America.
Silence by Saks on the horrendous bombardment from the air, sea and ground that has and continues to pummel every inch of the narrow strip, is a reflection of rank hypocrisy and barbarity.
It has resulted in the massacre of more than 16,000 - yes let it sink in 16,000 - men, women and children.
More than that, Saks’ studious avoidance or reluctance to condemn Israeli war crimes raises serious questions about why he is unabile to do so.
Is it fear that he would be seen as being out of step with Israeli Hasbara or simply doing his job as an apologist for the apartheid regime?
It is shameful but not surprising that Saks has chosen to be voluntarily blindfolded so as not to see the holocaust unfolding in Gaza.
The latest group of NGOs among hundreds who have expressed their outrage at Israel’s barbaric war on Gaza’s inhabitants is the French-based Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
The Palestinians being pummelled are refugees from 1948 and comprise both Muslims and Christians.
“It #MustStopNow! We are asking governments around the world to pressure Israel to stop the attacks on people in #Gaza and end the siege,” MSF wrote on X.
The organisation also shared an “open letter” in a video format, showing the aftermath of the Israeli attacks on Gaza.
“We are witnessing the fundamental principle of humanity being openly disgraced,” MSF said, adding that Israel’s “all-out assault” is not being waged just on Hamas.
“It is being waged on all of Gaza and its people at any cost,” it added.
None, except apologists of #IsraeliTerrorism, will dispute the brutal truth spelled out by
Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor before the National Assembly:
“The facts are, the people of Palestine are denied the right to exist as human beings. They are denied the right to enjoy the freedoms and the rights we so love as South Africans, the rights and freedoms we fought so hard for. The rights and freedoms we’re united on as a diverse South African people.”
Pandor urged South Africans not to ignore what is happening in Occupied Palestine.
To turn our backs on Israel’s fascist policies by ignoring the devastating toll on Palestinian lives, is not any different to an ostrich burying its head in the sand.
Is this not what Saks and the SAJBD have chosen to do by maintaining silence on the gruesome genocide in Gaza?
In her latest piece in the Daily Maverick (DM), Imaan Moosa who is also the marketing coordinator at DM, makes a profound observation:
“Sitting here, 7,000km away, the only thing greater than that grief and horror is the guilt of looking away. As children dig themselves out from underneath the rubble of their homes, as premature babies await death in incubators that have run out of power, and as thousands of displaced, injured, starving people walk to seek safety and shelter after more than 40 days of bombardment.”
To look away is to ignore or worse, to deny the terrible legacy of imperialism and settler colonialism in our own history.
Iqbal Jassat is Exec at the Media Review Network in Johannesburg, South Africa
