By Kouthar Sambo
“If you stay silent, you are complicit in this genocide. We have failed Gaza and we need to take this up a notch.”
This is according to a Palestinian Dr Khaled Owesi who addressed the crowd about the ongoing aggressions executed by Israel against Palestinians.
The address comes as pro-Palestine members and civil society convened on Saturday, 19 October (2024) at the Mahrajan Program at the Castle of Good Hope in the Mother City.
The event was marked by an exhilarating atmosphere as the sounds of entertainment, nasheeds, liberating chants, and moving speeches reverberated throughout the Castle of Good Hope.
Speaking to VOC News, Owesi highlighted the importance of the Mahrajan program and delved into the historical nature of the event, which is highly restricted in Palestine by the Israeli government.
“The Mahrajan was held in Palestine since 1999 and was stopped by the Zionists. However, today the Mahrajan is taking place in South Africa and it is symbolic of the solidarity demonstrated for Palestine as the genocide persists in Gaza,” said Owesi.
Additionally, he emphasized the resilience of the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas. This comes after its battle-engaged leader Yagya Sinwar was assassinated by Israel while engaging in direct clashes with the Israeli occupation.
“The event also comes right after the assassination of Hamas’s Palestinian leader – this will only enhance the resilience where new leaders will be born within Palestine. The fight will continue and the resistance will never stop until all Palestinians are liberated,” stressed Owesi.
According to Hamas expert and author of Hamas: Unwritten Chapters, Dr Azzam Tamimi, who spoke on VOC’s PM Drive show earlier in the week, Sinwar was assassinated on Wednesday 16 October. However, the announcement was made on Thursday (17 October) and Hamas officially confirmed Sinwar’s assassination on Friday, 18 October (2024).
Israel has since attempted to distort Sinwar’s martyrdom by creating a false narrative around the circumstances of his death. However, gruesome images of Sinwar after his death made the rounds on social media, telling a different story, and showcasing that Sinwar was in direct clashes with the occupation on the ground, among civilians, fighting until his very last breath.
Meanwhile, Owesi stressed the importance of active solidarity across the world as he noted that “making duah (praying) is not enough.”
“Duah is not enough without actions. In order to reach action, people need to be well aware of the situation and political context in Palestine. Duah must then be followed up with knowledge, and once people truly uncover the truth, they would realise this is not about Palestinians and Muslims, but humanity at large, that is at stake.”
“To stand up against this Zionist regime is to stand up against imperialism and colonialism. We need to crush this narrative and bring down this capitalist system so justice can prevail,” added Owesi.
Photo: VOCfm
