South African Official Accuses West of Complicity in Genocide

By Al Mayadeen English

3 Mar 2024 18:14

Communications Advisor Mohamed Faizal Dawjee expressed to Anadolu that western nations should not speak about human rights.

Mohamed Faizal Dawjee, a communications strategist and former media director for the South African government, denounced the West's position on "Israel's" assault on Gaza, accusing them of being "complicit in the genocide of Palestinians."

Speaking to Anadolu, Dawjee expressed that the West has "forfeited the right" to preach to the world about human rights, oppression, and freedom. 

Regarding his country's application to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Dawjee stressed the necessity of recognizing that South Africa's foreign policy is founded on human rights, justice, and freedom.

The strategist recalled that Palestinians experience the "same kind of oppression, injustice, and apartheid" that South Africans witnessed, noting that many leaders who visited the occupied territories reported that what they saw was "10 times worse" than events in South Africa.

"We want justice, we want freedom, we want the oppression to end in Gaza and Palestine.”

Dawjee emphasized that South Africa wants justice for Palestine because it believes the occupation is guilty of apartheid and genocide, citing that this "cannot be tolerated."

He highlighted the pressure on the South African government to withdraw from the ICJ case, noting that when the ICJ decided in South Africa's favor, everyone realized that this was a significant matter, and he highlighted that many nations have halted their arms sales to "Israel" due to their worry of being complicit. 

Dawjee referred to a new era of significantly greater social solidarity across countries known as "The Global South," who are uniting and demanding a "new international order."

He underlined the necessity for any government that commits injustice to be held accountable.

He emphasized the importance of the panels at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, noting that Gaza and Palestine are important to the event.

Noting the significance of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's speech at the forum, he expressed that a forum like Antalya's could unite different groups to have a necessary dialogue.

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Ashraf Al-Qudra, announced today that 15 Palestinian children have died due to malnutrition and dehydration in Kamal Adwan Hospital north of Gaza. 

He further expressed concern over the lives and well-being of another six children in the Intensive Care Unit at Kamal Adwan Hospital who are also suffering from malnutrition, and dehydration amid the shutdown of the electric generator and oxygen adding burden to the already collapsed healthcare system. 

The overall casualties from the Israeli genocide since October 7 last year, have reached 30,410 martyrs and 71,700 injured, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

The UN special rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri stated in an exclusive interview with The Guardian that "Israel" is deliberately starving Palestinians and should be held responsible for war crimes and genocide.

“There is no reason to intentionally block the passage of humanitarian aid or intentionally obliterate small-scale fishing vessels, greenhouses, and orchards in Gaza – other than to deny people access to food," Fakhri stated.

He further emphasized that “Intentionally depriving people of food is clearly a war crime. Israel has announced its intention to destroy the Palestinian people, in whole or in part, simply for being Palestinian. In my view as a UN human rights expert, this is now a situation of genocide. This means the State of Israel in its entirety is culpable and should be held accountable – not just individuals or this government, or that person."