Thousands marched to Parliament in solidarity with the al-Aqsa Mosque in Palestine yesterday, after violent clashes claimed seven lives in two weeks.
This week, four Palestinians between the ages of 17 and 20 have been killed.
The march also follows the recent call for Israel to dismantle security barriers at the mosque which included requiring worshippers to go through metal detectors.
On Tuesday it was announced the metal detectors had been dismantled, but activists described this as an extension of Israel’s "larger illegal occupation".
Yesterday, organisations, activists, school pupils and members of the community chanted "free-free Palestine”.
Among the speakers at the protest was former president Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Mandla Mandela, who quoted his late grandfather, saying that this cause was “the greatest moral issue of our time”.
“We want to ensure that we will continue as this generation of the Mandelas to pick up the baton where Madiba left off and ensure our pledge to the struggle of the Palestinian people,” said Mandla.
The protest organised by the Muslim Judiciary Council and the Al Quds Foundation called for the an end of diplomatic relations with Israel as well as the shutting down of the South African embassy in Tel Aviv.
“Given our history as South Africans, witnessing the non-violent demonstrations by the indigenous Palestinians against Israel’s occupation and oppression is a reminder of the protests by our own youth pre-1994, against the apartheid government,” said protester Kashif Wicomb.
“We are calling on our own government, the United Nations as well as governments and organisations all over the world to come together to
liberate the Palestinian people.”
Sheikh Ebrahim Gabriels said: “The reason why we are here is because of the atrocities that are happening in Palestine for more than 60 years and our concern is that the world is silent.”
Gabriels said the issue was not about the Muslims of Palestine but about the people of Palestine.
“I think an important reminder to people everywhere is that there is no different God for Muslims than there is for Christians, Jews or Hindus.
"We believe that there is one God that has created all human beings, therefore we belong to one another and we all have a responsibility to love one another and respect one another,” said Gabriels.