Scores of people demonstrated this week outside the Israeli Embassy in South Africa in condemnation of the UAE’s peace agreement with the occupation state and calling for the release of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Nawajaa, according to the Middle East Monitor.

Members of #Africa4Palestine, the South African Communist Party, Swaziland Solidarity Network and trade union NEHAWU gathered for a picket at lunch time, and were addressed by a member of the Embassy of Palestine.

“Certain Arab governments have a record of colluding with the USA in their oppressive policies in the Middle East, however, we know that the Arab peoples, on the other hand, have always stood against oppression,” #Africa4Palestine said in a statement after the event.

On Thursday, US President Donald Trump announced that he had brokered a deal which would see the Emirates and Israel normalise ties and begin the establishment of diplomatic and trade missions in each others’ countries.

The UAE said the move would stop Tel Aviv annexing large swathes of the occupied West Bank as it had promised to do, however Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a press conference on Thursday that “There is no change in our plan to extend sovereignty to Judea and Samaria…It is not off the table as far as I am concerned.”

“The USA once tried to use African governments to collude with Apartheid South Africa so we are familiar with such tactics,” #Africa4Palestine continued in its statement.

The protest was also held to highlight the plight of the unlawful detention by Israel of the Palestinian activist, Mahmoud Nawajaa. In the early hours of 30 July 2020, Israeli soldiers broke into BDS leader Nawajaa’s home, handcuffed and blindfolded him, and marched him out, in front of his wife and two small children. He is currently being prohibited from seeing his lawyer and is being kept in detention without trial.

#Africa4Palestine is planning more protests in the future.