Al-Qalam 
The Media Review Network condemns the provocative hosting of the Zionist Connect conference in Cape Town by the South African Zionist Federation (SAZF).
The event, which promotes an ideology rooted in settler colonialism, genocide, epistemicide and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, stands in direct contradiction to the principles of justice, equality, and freedom for all, as stated in our constitution.
South Africa, with its painful history of settler colonialism and apartheid, has a moral obligation to reject any movement that perpetuates oppression and displacement.
The conference is the proverbial middle finger to the official stance of the South African government concerning the settler colonial occupation of Palestine, of which Zionism is the chief enabler.
The fact that the conference is being held in Cape Town, a city run by the Zionist-sympathetic Democratic Alliance but a member of the Government of National Unity, is a slap in the face of the government’s stance on ending the genocide of Palestinians.
The global Zionist agenda has led to decades of genocidal violence, land theft, and systemic discrimination against the Palestinian people. Hosting such a conference undermines the international struggle for human rights and solidarity for indigenous Palestinians.
We call on the South African government, civil society, and all justice-loving individuals to denounce this event and reaffirm their commitment to the Palestinian cause. No part of South Africa should be a platform for ideologies perpetuating injustice.
Dr Ahmed Haroon Jazbhay
Executive Member
Media Review Network
