Qaanitah Hunter- Cii News (July 5, 2012)

Supporters of the Palestinian cause are encouraged to take their solidarity online by signing a petition.

The petition has been set up by civil society organisation, Open Shuhada Street, in support of South African Tradeand Industry Minister Rob Davies’ decision to relabel goods made in Occupied West Bank correctly.

Products emanating from the OPT are currently being labeled as “Made in Israel.”

Open Shuhada Street has used Avaaz.com as a platform for the petition and is requesting support from the public to sign this petition.

“Every day, people around the world buy products that are mislabeled as ‘Made in Israel’ when in fact they have been made illegally in the OPT. The OPT are illegal by international law. By mislabeling products, Israeli companies are taking away people’s right to know and to make informed choices. By issuing this notice, the South African government has taken a stand against Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territories and Israel’s appalling and daily human rights abuses against Palestinians, which has not gone unnoticed and already countries in Europe such as Denmark and Switzerland are following South Africa’s example.

“Israel and South Africa are party to international trade agreements that require accurate product labelling, which includes their place of origin. South Africa only recognises the State of Israel within the borders that were demarcated by the United Nations in 1948. These do not include the Palestinian territories occupied after the 1967 war,” the organisation said on the website.

Speaking to Cii’s breakfast show, Sabaahul Khair, the organisation’s spokesperson, Bruce Baigrie, said they are aiming of a target of 10 000.

“We are not nearly at that amount and we encourage all to sign the petition,” he said.

The petition will be presented to Davies as part of a collective public submission.

Baigrie said that it is fairly easy to sign the petition and it can be found easily by following links on www.openshuhadastreet.org or by going directly to Avaaz.

He said that Arch Bishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has signed the petition proving his undeterred passion for the Palestinian cause.

Baigrie also noted trade union federation, Cosatu, and Afrincan National Congresses ’s bold call to denounce the apartheid state of Israel.

“It looks good but we are looking to increase the numbers,” he said.

Zionist federations have created a petition opposing the call to re-label and according to Baigrie, have approximately 3000 signatures thus far.

qaanitah@ciibroadcasting.com