The Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council (PHROC) offers its deepest condolences to the family of Nelson Mandela and the people of South Africa. The death of Mandela is a tremendous loss, not only for South Africa, but also for the entire world.
During his long walk to freedom, Madiba became the hope, heart, and voice of oppressed people around the world, including in Palestine. He will always remain an inspiration to millions of Palestinians who continue the struggle for freedom, justice, and dignity.
The success of the South African struggle against Apartheid, spearheaded by Nelson Mandela, provides us with faith that we, the Palestinian people, will also succeed in our struggle against the Israeli occupation and its practices of apartheid and colonialism.
Mandela has taught us the power of disciplined action against oppression. He showed the world that struggling for one’s principles and holding on to them in the darkest of times is not only possible, but is the only true path to freedom and human dignity.
Nelson Mandela continuously sought to support the Palestinian people’s struggle for self-determnation. During his address at The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People in 1997 he stated, “we know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.”
Members of PHROC and the Palestinian people will remain eternally grateful for Nelson Mandela’s unwavering solidarity with our cause. We are also thankful for Mandela’s resilience in the face of adversity and we shall ensure that none of us rests as long as inequality, poverty, and injustice persist in our world.
Like Mandela, we cherish the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live with equal opportunities and where justice reigns supreme. We pledge to carry on our struggle until the same principles and values that Mandela sacrificed for are observed on the ground in Palestine.