Francois Bekker

(My speech during the snap debate in the Tshwane Council meeting on 31 July regarding the Middle East crisis)

(My toespraak oor die Israel-Palestynse krisis wat ek tydens die Tshwane raadsvergadering van 31 Julie gehou het.)


GIVE PEACE A CHANCE

Words fail us when we confront the events taking place in the Middle East and the way these events have unfolded over the past months, indeed over many years.

We watch in horror how people die in this violent conflict between Israel and Palestine.

Allow me to borrow words from one of South Africa’s most acclaimed play wrights, Athol Fugard:

“There are people staying there.”

On both sides you will find fathers and mothes;

Brothers and sisters;

Small children and newborns whose only experience of the world and life is one of conflict and bloodshed.

It breaks my heart when young children’s lives are ended in a conflict they don’t even understand.

It is for them, the innocent casualties of war, that I  have this message:

"No person deserves to be caught in the line of fire,

every person deserves a world where he or she can pursue their dreams without the fear of bullets, rockets and missiles."

 They deserve all the peace the world can offer them.

To be clear – the Israeli-Palestine conflict situation is a tragedy. As Shakespeare said so vividly, “Blood will have blood”.

Taking sides is a fruitless exercise. Let us refrain from using this tragedy for cheap political point scoring in local politics. Also to be avoided is a dogmatic approach on the issue.

These are my specific thoughts on this very complex issue:

• The DA is on record of favouring a negotiated two state- solution for Israel-Palestine;
• Without mutual recognition of sovereignty, no Middle East peace can become reality;
• The levels of violence – on both sides - must be drastically reduced to end the violence all together.
• Negotiations, based on unselfish statesmanship must guide the search for solutions for this conflict.
• Extremism on both sides will only fuel the conflict further.


The one lesson I learnt in life is that if I don’t get the desired results I must reassess the way I do things.

I hope and pray the leaders on both sides of this tragic conflict will find it in their hearts to genuinely pursue innovative ways to end the violence. Both sides have to move from entrenched positions to re-imagine their futures. I trust that they will give peace a chance in pursuing their destinies without doing so at the cost of one another.