Holy war, unholy toll

COST OF CONVICTION: GAZA'S SUFFERING AND THE POLITICS OF SACRED POWER

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In a recent article published in IOL and circulated in Christian Zionist circles, a claim is made that Nelson Mandela was a Zionist. As expected, it is done by quoting Mandela out of context. A case is made that in 1993 Mandela insisted on "the right of the state of Israel to exist within secure borders," a fact that even Hamas in its 1983 Charter affirms.

It is from this statement that a leap is made that Mandela therefore supports Israel's Zionist programme undergirding the current genocide in Palestine.

As if Mandela would oppose the solidarity of our republic with the people of Palestine and taking Israel to the International Court of Justice, requiring Israel to abide by internationally accepted rules of justice for all.

Israel's genocide against the people of Gaza and the West Bank is a ghastly consequence of the arranged marriage of convenience between religion and political ideology.

Political imperatives dictate the terms of the marriage and produce the cruel fruit of the sort of racism, abuse of power and brutality that has left over 60,000 dead since 7 October 2023, the majority of whom are women and children.

Unprecedented levels of starvation and collective punishment of an entire population of Gaza and now, increasingly, the West Bank is methodically executed in full view of the world.

Israel's far-right Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu recently said that his government is "racing against time to wipe out Gaza and its Palestinian population," adding that the territory will become "entirely Jewish."