Al-Arab Blog - مدونة العرب

"South Africa Minister calls apartheid wall ' wall of shame'":

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South Africa Minister calls apartheid wall ' wall of shame'
Feb 28, 2004, 13:45

Occupied Jerusalem - A South African government minister has called the apartheid wall Israel is building in the West Bank a 'wall of shame.'

Ronnie Kasrils, Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry, pointed out in an article published Friday that the wall was meant to dispossess Palestinians of their land and water resources.

Kasrils, who accompanied the deputy foreign minister Aziz Pahad in his recent visit to Palestine-Israel, said the wall had a hideous image that is a shock to the system.

'I have never been in a place where one's mood can swing so greatly between depression and elation, owing to the oppressive occupation on the one hand and the inspirational landscape and people on the other.'

Kasrils praised the enduring vigor of the Palestinian people in the face of Israel's Nazi-like persecution which transcends reality.

'I could write much about the Palestinian people, how full of courage and humor they are in the face of adversity. Suffice to quote an old farmer who told us his people are like an olive tree. 'you can uproot it, you can burn it. You may think you have destroyed it. The shoots always reappear.'

Kasrils said the world shouldn't be fooled by Sharon's statement of unilateral withdrawal and token dismantling of some settlements.

'He is leaving a huge prison in place, will the Israeli government's plans
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