S. African ambassador joins al-Quds MPs

South African ambassador to the Palestinian Authority, Ted Bikhany, has declared his solidarity with the Jerusalem parliamentarians and former Jerusalem minister threatened with deportation.

This came during a visit by the Ambassador, accompanied by the embassy’s first secretary Edgar Mutzeysi, Monday morning to the officials’ sit-in tent at the Red Cross headquarters in Jerusalem.

“On behalf of the people and government of South Africa, we stand with you in these difficult times, and we continually hope your issue will be resolved as soon as possible,” Bikhany said.

MPs Ahmed Attoun, Mohammed Toutah, and former Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Khaled Abu Arafa welcomed the visit.

“Israeli occupation forces dared to detain MP Mohammed Abu Tair, and so they don’t arrest us the next day and the Jerusalemite deportation issue dies, we immediately resorted to the headquarters of the International Mission of the Red Cross to notify all international and human rights organizations of this tragedy against Jerusalem and the Jerusalemites,” Abu Arafa said.

“We are aware that your government aspires for freedom and peace, and calls for freedom, independence, and self-determination for the Palestinian people, but unfortunately, the international community is still far from achieving justice, freedom, and equality for the Palestinian people,” said MP Mohammed Toutah.

MP Ahmed Attoun noted that MP Mohammed Abu Tair has spent around 30 years in jail, a time span about the same length as South African spiritual leader Nelson Mandela during the South African apartheid.