Madam Deputy Speaker, the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is observed by the UN and the international community on 29 November each year. The date of 29 November was chosen because of its significance to the Palestinian people as it was on this day, some 59 years ago, that UN General Assembly Resolution 181 was adopted that provided for the establishment in Palestine of a Jewish state and an Arab state. Of the two states to be created under this resolution, only one, Israel, has so far come into being.
The International Day of Solidarity has traditionally provided an opportunity for the international community to highlight the fact that the question of Palestine is still unresolved.
As South Africans, we have endured and experienced the atrocities of apartheid and we therefore understand the plight of the Palestinian people. We support the Palestinian people in their fight to attain their inalienable rights as defined by the UN General Assembly, namely the right to self-determination without external interference and the right to national independence and sovereignty.
We call on the Israeli government to create conditions for the implementation of the Hebron and Oslo accords. [Applause.]