“But we know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.”
-Nelson Mandela, during his speech at the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on 4 December 1997 in Pretoria, South Africa.
These powerful words of Nelson Mandela remind us that no struggle for justice stands alone. On Mandela Day, we honor a leader who fought apartheid and discrimination, recognizing that freedom and human rights belong to everyone.
The end of apartheid in South Africa showed that global solidarity can overcome systemic injustice. Mandela turned his gaze beyond South Africa: he supported the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and equality. In 1997 he insisted that South Africa’s freedom was bound to the Palestinians, saying that no one can be fully free while others remain oppressed.
Today, we at the Amman Center for Human Rights Studies, witness history repeating itself. Many international observers describe «israel’s» policies in the occupied Palestinian territories as apartheid – a system of segregation and discrimination. Like apartheid South Africa, these policies violate fundamental human rights by restricting movement, denying basic rights, and dividing communities.
On this Mandela Day, we reaffirm his vision of global justice and human rights. We stand in solidarity with all who seek equality, honoring Mandela’s reminder that true liberation comes only when all are free.
