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<strong>Al Akhbar | Published Monday, February 6, 2012</strong></p>
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<p>South Africa is considering imposing economic and cultural sanctions on Israel as part of the worldwide Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign.</p>
<p>The country&#8217;s Minister of Arts and Culture announced at a conference in Pretoria last week that the government is seeking to increase support for the dispossessed Palestinian people.</p>
<p>&#8220;We want to step up our support of the Palestinians and are investigating a number of peaceful ways to upgrade this support. We have no problem with supporting the Boycott, Disinvestment and Sanctions campaign against Israel,&#8221; Minister of Arts and Culture Paul Mashatile told a local newspaper.</p>
<p>South Africa&#8217;s ruling African National Congress has long supported Palestinian independence due to their experience of life under apartheid.</p>
<p>Mashatile also announced a cultural agreement between South Africa and Palestine. He said the commitment was important to the Palestinian cause was particularly strong &#8220;because we count the people of Palestine among those patriots who stood by us in our struggle for national liberation.&#8221;</p>
<p>The BDS campaign, which began in 2005, aims to create pressure on Israel by calling for economic and cultural sanctions against the country.</p>
<p>It demands an end to Israel&#8217;s occupation of all Arab lands as well as recognition of the rights of Palestinians inside the Occupied Territories.</p>
<p>Omar Barghouti, human rights activist and co-founder of the BDS movement for Palestinian rights, warmly welcomed the announcement.</p>
<p>&#8220;Mashatile’s public embracing of BDS indicates that the South African government is seriously considering imposing sanctions on Israel as a result of its intensifying destruction of Palestinian society and denial of basic Palestinian rights,&#8221; he told <em>Al-Akhbar.</em></p>
<p>&#8220;By imposing meaningful sanctions against Israel, South Africa would establish itself as a world leader in upholding international law and holding to account states that are gravely violating it,&#8221; he added.</p>
<p>A 2009 Stop the Wall campaign highlighted the involvement of South African businesses and government ministries in Israeli projects and partnerships that expressly violate international law and Palestinian rights.</p>
<p>Many of these dealings are prohibited by the South African constitution, which emphasizes the country’s firm commitment to human rights, domestically and on the international stage.</p>
<p>Muhammed Desai, Coordinator for the BDS campaign in South Africa, hailed the announcement as a significant step forward.</p>
<p>“It is great, it is in the direction we think the South African government is going to be moving towards,” he told <em>Al-Akhbar.</em></p>
<p>The minister did not divulge exactly what sanctions South Africa was considering, but Desai believes it will focus initially on economic sanctions, with cultural sanctions following later.</p>
<p>“I hope there will be a broad based boycott on Israel but specifically I think government imposed sanctions on issues like the military,” Desai said</p>
<p>“We have known for many years now that the South African government has an unsaid policy of not supplying or buying Israeli weapons but now it would become official government policy.”</p>
<p>Asad Ghsoub, from the Campaign to Boycott Supporters of Israel in Lebanon, said the announcement could be a major turning point in the campaign to end the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.</p>
<p>“It&#8217;s a great boost for the BDS campaign, and at same time not surprising as the South African people know what apartheid is,” he said.</p>
<p>“I believe this would be the first major non-Middle Eastern state to take out sanctions against Israel and would set a precedent. It will encourage others to follow suit and put Arab governments to shame.</p>
<p>If the sanctions are comprehensive and serious it could be the start of something big,” he added.</p>
<p>Should South Africa move to impose sanctions on Israel, it would represent a significant blow to the Jewish state.</p>
<p>South Africa is a country of growing international influence, and forms part of the BRICS bloc of emerging powers unaligned with the West, along with Brazil, Russia, India and China.</p>
<p>While Israel enjoys unwavering support in the West, it may face increasing pressure as emerging powers transform symbolic forms of support to the Palestinian people into concrete action.</p>
<p><em>(Al-Akhbar)</em></p>
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