Palestinian struggle icon Leila Khaled has called on South Africans to continue to support the anti-Israeli lobby group, Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions.
Khaled rose to fame by becoming the first female to hijack a US plane in 1969 as a member of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation.
She is on a speaking tour to South Africa to raise funds for the lobby group which is campaigning for boycotts of Israeli products by South African companies, particularly Woolworths.
"My message is to support BDS as a tool for people to support others who are living under occupation and oppression. We have been struggling long years ago and still have a long way to reach liberation," she told Algoa FM News.
She also said that "South Africa is totally backing the Palestinian struggle. "They know what is apartheid and also those who suffered from apartheid now support those who are still suffering from apartheid as long as Israel is an apartheid state," she added.
Meanwhile, former government Minister, Ronnie Kasrils, who accompanied Khaled to Port Elizabeth, said he supporting the rights of Palestinians for self-determination does not make it anti-Jewish.
"In resolving that conflict it's not anti-Jewish, it's not anti-semitic. It's for Palestinian rights and human rights and right to self determination. Just as overthrowing apartheid helped liberate white South Africans the same will happen with the Israeli - Palestine issue," Kasrils said.
