The settlers (aka colonolialist thieves and murderers) are literally killing, maiming, torturing Palestinians on their own land in the West Bank. Driving them out of their own houses, lands and farms. The Israeli army stands by and watches this. If any Palestinian tries to fight back against the settlers in the process of stealing their land they are maimed and/or murdered. And this is only in the West Bank where land theft and murder by the Israelis is still happening to this day. It doesn’t include any of the other clear land theft that had taken place in historic Palestine by the Israelis.

Now tell me that is not similar to the Apartheid police force breaking into houses in your area and telling you to move or be murdered, because your property now belongs the Apartheid state that is going to parcel it out to the white Apartheid supporting citizens.

Finding similarities between the atrocities commited by the Apartheid South African government and the Apartheid Israeli government is not adding my country’s baggage to a complex reality. A lot can be learnt by looking back at similar atrocities commited in the past and the repercussions of that, whay was learnt, etc.

Also an important point is that because of experiencing a similar repression of my people, parents, grandparents, and living through the tail end of that repression, i have empathy and some understanding of what the Palestinians are going through. I can’t claim to know exactly how they’re feeling but i do have some idea.

I have been campaigning in South Africa for Palestinian rights and self determination since i was a young teenager with my peers and my parents. I have been aware of the history, geopolitics and reality of the situation of the Palestinians since then. I have a pretty decent understanding of what is going on over there.