Israeli genocide in Palestine ongoing for 76 years, says Mandela's grandson

By Muhammet Ikbal Arslan

GENEVA (AA) - Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, the grandson of South African anti-apartheid politician and statesman Nelson Mandela, said Israeli “genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes and crimes against humanity” in Palestine have been ongoing for 76 years.

“The war hasn't been since the seventh of October, we must be clear on what the facts are. The genocide, ethnic cleansing war crimes, and crimes against humanity have been going on for the past 76 years since 1948,” said the South African National Assembly member in an interview with Anadolu in Geneva.

Mandela added that over 531 villages have been disseminated by the “Zionist zapping entity.”

“So we will never, at any point want to reduce this conflict to be from the seventh of October. Those that continue to perpetuate that propaganda and lie will be met with the facts that we have,” he added.

Underlining that there have been over 20 different massacres between 2006 to 2023 in Gaza alone, he said many more have been carried out in occupied territories in the West Bank.

“We strongly condemn the fact that people always wanted to speak about this conflict as if it started on the seventh of October,” he said.

Criticizing the governments that are not “the voices of the masses”, he said people are rising in every major city across the globe in support of the Palestinian cause.

“The Electronic Intifada has been able to utilize social media and ensure that we can reach far and wide across the global community and mobilize support for the Palestinian people,” he added.

Praising the efforts of his government and the president, he said it has been a “historical achievement” on the part of South Africa.

Mandela made a “global call” to all countries in Europe, the West, as well as Latin America, Africa, and Asia, urging them to follow and support the South African case.

“We are very happy to hear that Spain and other countries have now recognized Palestine as a state, and we will continue to call on more countries to follow likewise,” he added.

South Africa was the first country to ask the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to try Israel for genocide following the Oct. 7 attacks.

The coordinated recognition of the state of Palestine by Spain, Ireland, and Norway is seen as a significant step towards reviving efforts for a peaceful resolution in the Middle East.

Israel has killed nearly 36,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.

The military campaign has turned much of the enclave of 2.3 million people into ruins, leaving most civilians homeless and at risk of famine.

The attacks continue despite a ruling by the International Court of Justice that ordered Israel to halt its offensive in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar in Ankara