The Communist Party of Israel (CPI) mourns the loss of Comrade Nelson Mandela and offers its condolences to the people of South Africa. We also convey our deepest sympathy and encouragement to his family. Tata Madiba – a genuine son of the soil, the greatest freedom fighter, a true revolutionary whose struggle against racism, discrimination and fascism has been a beacon for all freedom and equality lovers. Madiba forever will be inspiring us – those who fight for liberation, justice and peace, wherever we are.
It is important that the people of South Africa will know that our struggle as members of the CPI, Arab Palestinians and Jews alike, against the Israeli occupation and Apartheid in the Palestinian occupied territories and against Zionist racism, has been truly inspired by Madiba's spirit and will carry on his legacy until our final victory. The same should be said about our battle for a democratic and just Israel – a state that pursues the wellbeing of its citizens as a whole with no ethnic prejudice and discrimination whatsoever. That too, of course, resembles Mandela's internationalist legacy. As Mandela wrote to New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman in 2010, “Palestinians are struggling for freedom, liberation and equality, just like we were struggling for freedom in South Africa.” We at CPI, of course, embrace those words unequivocally.
It is also crucial to point out that in contrast to many political figures Mandela distinguished very carefully between being a Zionist, which he, like us, denounced, and being a Jew, which he, just like us, respected. We wish that that legacy of his will prevail too.
Amandla Ngawethu – Sleep Well Madiba!
Mohammed Nafa’h
Secretary General of the Communist Party of Israel
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