Excuse me, I am a bit feverish. Chairperson, how I wish we could complete this parliamentary calendar with me being the bearer of good news. How I indeed wish our progressive global struggle for the banishment of the evil of colonialism, subjugation, injustice and apartheid to be over. Certainly, today, I must merely confirm what you already know ...
Order, please, order!
... that the struggle for human rights, democracy, self determination, freedom and independence, are to be intensified. This Parliament will be part of the frontline forces for change.
The portfolio committee undertook an extensive inquiry into the Israeli- Palestinian conflict - its history, causes and complexities, the occupation and its consequences, the bid for statehood - and, indeed, it sought ways of making an active contribution to the search for a comprehensive, just, peaceful and lasting solution.
In undertaking this enquiry, we held a number of meetings, a symposium involving both Israeli and Palestinian ambassadors, and a wider range of civil society organisations, lobbies, religious and trade union groups, and many more activists across a wide section of the South African population.
We further undertook an earlier study visit to the besieged and occupied territory of Gaza through Egypt and later the West Bank and Israel. We were regrettably refused entry into Gaza from Israel by the Israeli authorities. Nonetheless, we were able to meet with a wide array of players in that area.
In compiling our report and recommendations to the House - which I must point out the ACDP has objected to - the committee noted that its inquiry took place against the backdrop of more than two decades of failed negotiations. Its outcome has fallen short of meeting the minimum requirements for self-determination and statehood for the Palestinian people who have, up to now, lived under the ever tightening yoke of a ceaseless and illegal occupation that has stripped them of their human rights and dignity.
The committee consequently recalled that the liberation struggle in South Africa enjoyed the support of the international community and the Palestinian people, in particular, as it mirrored their own experiences of subjugation, colonialism, exclusion and dispossession. South Africa's support for the Palestinian cause is from a principled position born out of our own experiences and indeed our vision for the creation of a better South Africa, a better Africa and a better world.
We recognised that support for human rights freedom, democracy, peace, justice and equality is a historical and constitutional obligation bestowed upon South Africa and future generations. We believe that the aspirations of the Palestinian people cannot be denied any longer and that the current negotiations must, as an outcome, resolve the fundamental grievance of the Palestinian people.
We believe that the settlement of the occupied Palestinian territories is illegal and a violation of international law, and poses a real threat to the current negotiations. The latest decision of the Israeli government to continue with settlement construction is counter-productive as it creates new facts on the ground and undermines the creation of a Palestinian state.
We recalled and reaffirmed the previous House's resolutions supporting a two-state solution. We recalled President Mandela's statement that "our own freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians". We recalled and reaffirmed President Zuma's statement when he said: "We stand with the people of Palestine as they strive to turn a new leaf in their struggle."
Consequently, the committee then recommended the following to the House: to intensify solidarity efforts supporting a just, peaceful and lasting solution, including the strengthening of a sovereign Palestinian state, which will help to bring peace between the conflicting parties; to become a leading part of a worldwide movement, including civil society; to support the struggle and campaigns led by the Palestinian people; to mobilise all sections of the South African population to utilise our experience in reconciliation; to help foster unity among Palestinian people through interparliamentary co-operation; to continue to support the efforts of our government to encourage an inclusive peaceful process of a negotiated settlement between the concerned parties; and to lead efforts to strengthen and co-ordinate interparliamentary Palestinian solidarity efforts and indeed support all efforts to engage with all parties in Israel and Palestine, to find a just, lasting and peaceful settlement of the Palestinian question and bring peace to the Middle East. Thank you so much. [Applause.]
There was no debate.
Hon House Chair, I move:
That the Report be adopted.
Declarations of vote:
Chairperson, can we just record the objection before the declarations or after?
Declarations, I thought that was what you requested.
Chairperson, from the perspective of the ACDP, the agenda for the portfolio committee visit to Gaza and later Palestine and Israel, heavily favoured a pro-Palestine and anti-Israel sector of society on all three legs of the visit.
The ACDP had hoped that despite the unlevelled playing field in terms of material presented to the committee, the parliamentary committee delegation would have the courage to commit to a greater degree of balance in reporting and proposing resolutions. Like the ANC and Palestine, the ACDP is known to have a similar sense of solidarity when it comes to Israel due to our mutual biblical history with Israel and the disputed territory.
With this in mind, we chose not to regard the ANC's proposal as being out of hand and tried to find a way to bring some balance. No compromise, however, was forthcoming and the ACDP was unable to support the resulting report. A report which, we believe, does not help stakeholders to move closer to a peaceful solution, but takes sides confirming active solidarity with Palestine and positioning South Africa against Israel. Thank you.
Chairperson, I think it is important that we set the record straight in terms of what happened in the committee. It is quite disingenuous for the hon Dudley to come here and do exactly what we had called her to order for in the committee to the extent that she had written a letter apologising for her conduct.
However, we are really surprised to see the same conduct which was displayed in the committee again. Just to set the record straight, the committee was a multiparty delegation that firstly visited the Gaza Strip and other parts in order to listen to both sides of the story, understand the difficulties and the situation in the Middle East. That is the first thing we need to clarify.
When the delegation was going to Palestine to hear their side, members, such as the hon Dudley, pulled out and left the delegation with only the ANC representatives. It was not ordinarily an ANC delegation, but a multiparty one that felt that they wanted to go and hear the other side of the story and not leave the matter with a one-sided view.
That is why we are surprised when she stands here, because she only has a one-sided view, and even more surprised when she goes to the extent of putting forward a document that portrays the committee as being ill- informed. We had to call her to order and felt that we had passed that stage. When she formally apologised in writing to the committee, we thought that we had finished the story. We had dealt with the matter in terms of her position, the sponsors and the people who had written documents against the committee regarding the issues of the visit.
The committee had negotiated through a multiparty forum. The resolutions were circulated to everybody to find out whether all of us were happy with what was in the document. We have adopted those resolutions as a committee. Therefore, the hon Dudley must not take a party-political matter and make it a parliamentary matter. We are a multiparty forum; the committee operates in that fashion and we have agreed on the resolutions and adopted the report.
She had raised her objection and we had accepted that, but it is wrong for her to do exactly what she had done in the committee and we had requested her to apologise. She is bringing the committee's name into disrepute. We could have decided to lodge a formal complaint with the Speaker. However, in the spirit of co-operation in the committee, we decided that an apology would be suitable. Thank you very much, Chair. [Applause.]
Motion agreed to (African Christian Democratic Party dissenting).
Report accordingly adopted.
Hon Dudley!
Hon Chairperson, can you please record the objections of the