South African advocacy group, Media Review Network (MRN) has launched a ground-breaking, new book Why Israel? The Anatomy of Zionist Apartheid – A South African Perspective. Written by Suraya Dadoo and Firoz Osman, the book is an invaluable resource to combat pro-Israel propagandists who deny that Israel is an apartheid state, and provides a comprehensive answer to those who ask “Why is Israel being singled out as an apartheid state?”

With a foreword written by Ronnie Kasrils, the book has earned the praise of other anti-apartheid icons, including Archbishop Tutu, Essop Pahad and Ahmed Kathrada. Omar Barghouti, the co-founder of the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement against Israel called the book “timely and crucial.”

Launched at the highly symbolic Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, where Kasrils was the keynote speaker, the book attracted a diverse audience of over 200 people – from high school students to Palestinian solidarity activists, diplomats and civil society representatives.

Messages of support poured in for the launch on Sunday. Unable to attend the event, Jewish anti-Apartheid icon and Rivonia trialist, Denis Goldberg said: “This event has my support because the world should not tolerate the denial of human rights to a people – the Palestinians in particular – expressed through the theft of land, water, plantations and the right to life and dignity; through laws, regulations and administrative practices imposed by the Zionist state of Israel on those people.”

Jessie Duarte has called for concrete action against the State of Israel. “We must be steadfast in our resolve to deny the State of Israel any formal recognition. We must ensure that our own government makes friends with people who show respect for human life and dignity, we need to shun the Israeli government.”

“We want to reach as wide an audience as possible. This is not a Muslim issue, this is a human rights issue. Just as the world mobilised against Apartheid South Africa, we must react with the same urgency against Israeli apartheid” said Dadoo and Osman.

Why Israel? The Anatomy of Zionist Apartheid – A South African Perspective (Porcupine Press, 2013) is widely available at all bookstores nationwide. E-book and Kindle versions are also available.

Contact the authors:

Suraya Dadoo – Ph: (011) 852 7301 / 083 985 7149 E-mail: suraya_dadoo@telkomsa.net

Firoz Osman – Ph: 082 337 6976 E-mail: fhosman@iafrica.com

Videos from the Joburg Launch at the Apartheid Museum are available here

Photos from the Joburg Launch at the Apartheid Museum are available here