Obi Egbuna Jnr Simunye
FROM the moment Zimbabwe’s Government, ruling party and people decided it was time to reclaim every grain and inch of their sacred land, and finalise what was the collective battle cry of every warrior lost on the battlefield during the First and Second Chimurenga, their leadership accepted wholeheartedly that the Third Chimurenga would incur the full wrath of British and Rhodesian sympathisers.

Among these groupings would be not only the Democratic and Republican parties of the US government, but the Labour and Likud parties of the Zionist state of Israel, whose philosophical and ideological father, Theodore Herzl, is cut from the same exact cloth as Adolf Hitler and Cecil John Rhodes.

When future generations of Mother Africa’s daughters and sons study how Zimbabwe’s Third Chiumrenga captured the imagination of our people at home and abroad, and the suffering they were forced to endure as a consequence, will be forced recognise how pivotal the numerical year of 2001 became in relationship to this process.

Those who remember the political hoopla and sensationalism surrounding of the UN Conference on Racism Xenophobia and other related intolerances that took place in Durban, South Africa, in 2001, primarily because the Bush Administration threatened to boycott this historical gathering if the question if chattel slavery, Palestine and reparations were discussion and agenda items, have a tendency to forget that that same exact year US imperialism imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe in the form of the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZDERA).

While this cowardly and vindictive measure against Zimbabwe came as no surprise to its leadership and people, perhaps the role of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), who came only five votes short of unanimously voting for ZDERA and endorsing the Bush Administration’s Zimbabwe regime change agenda caught them a little bit off-guard.

The most entertaining aspect of this political spectacle was watching CBC members like Congresswomen Maxine Waters who voted against the 2002 Iraqi War resolution and was a co-sponsor of the resolution to impeach former US vice president Dick Cheney for making false statements against the war, oppose the 2004 coup d’etat in Haiti and condemn US involvement and publicly call George W. Bush a racist who had polarised the races in the US, enthusiastically work with this same administration for the political and economic demise of Zimbabwe.

The three reasons that more than likely moved sisters like Congresswomen Waters, Rep Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas and Barbara Lee of California to vote for a racist and white supremacist measure like ZDERA, without even bating an eye, were undying loyalty to former US Secretary of State and US Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Congressman Donald Payne and their favourite Zionist in the Democratic Party, the late Congressman Tom Lantos.

During his tenure as the chairman on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Congressman Lantos introduced a piece of legislation known as a House Concurrent Resolution 100 on March 26, 2007 that began with the following words: “Condemning the recent violent actions of the Government of Zimbabwe against peaceful opposition activists and members of civil society”. This same resolution was introduced to the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee three days later as Senate Resolution 25 by none other than former US Senator Barack Obama.

Out of the 31 Congressional co-sponsors Lantos was able to rope in some CBC members – the late Congressman Donald Payne, who was the Chair of the CBC’s Africa Brain Trust; Diane Watson, Barbara Lee, Bobby Rush (who had abstained from the ZDERA vote six years before), Sheila Jackson and Chaka Fatah. What Lantos proved is there is indeed an exception to that old adage, “you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink”.

The pro-regime change posture of late Congressman Lantos whose political career starts the same year Zimbabwe gained its official political independence, and the CBC members who concerning Zimbabwe have behaved like dogs on their master’s leash, should help shine light on the recent political controversy surrounding the CBC and the Nation of Islam’s leader the Honourable Louis Farrakhan.

Thanks to the annals of history and constant ideological clarity going back to the position paper written by the civil and human rights icon, Ethel Minor, representing SNCC entitled “The Palestinian Problem” and the op-ed written by Malcolm X in the Egyptian Gazette on September 17, 1964, not only are we not clearer than ever on the difference between Zionism and Judaism, but we know there is no such thing as a Jewish, Catholic, Muslim, Buddhist or Confucian race.

One of the main tenets of Zionist political culture which is a microcosm of colonialist and imperialist culture, has been to enslave people and also invade, conquer, rape and plunder their land in the name of Almighty God. Since the truth is based on deeds not just words, Zionists have as much of a right to claim the Torah as the Ku Klux Klan has to claim the cross which symbolises the sacrifices of Jesus Christ and even further back the ankh which represents ancient African spiritual wisdom and peace.

The declaration that God is non- existent by Mr Herzl smashes the argument that the Labour and Likud Party are in Palestine fulfilling the mission of the chosen people.

What the rank and file members of the Nation of Islam must understand more than ever before is that the struggle against Zionism is neither the crusade of the Honourable Louis Farrakhan alone or reduced to unwavering solidarity for the brave and beautiful children women and men of Pales- tine.

The Zionist State of Israel opposed self-determination in Algeria and Tunisia, attempted to blow Egypt/Kemit off the face of the earth during the Six-Day War, and manipulated former US president Ronald Reagan to bomb Libya in April of 1986 under false pretences. This is the same Reagan who decided not to honour the Lancaster House negotiations between former US president Jimmy Carter and former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe and later Vice President and national hero Joshua Nkomo. Israel also has unequivocally supported the US blockade on Cuba.

At the core of Mr Lantos’ bitterness towards Zimbabwe appeared to be surrounding the unbreakable bond between the liberation movements representing the Frontline States in Southern Africa and the PLO , that were eternally solidified during the days of the OAU Liberation Committee. During the 12th Ordinary Session of the OAU held in Kampala, Uganda, from July 28 to August 1 it was stated “that the racist regime in occupied Palestine and the racist regime in Zimbabwe and South Africa have a common imperialist origin, forming a whole and having the same racist structure and being organically linked in their policy aimed at the repression of the dignity and integrity of the human being”.

The book, “Israel and South Africa: The Progression of a Relationship”, written by Richard P. Stevens and Abdelwab M. Elmessiri – which had a revised edition by the historian Dr John Henrik Clarke – covers everything from military collaboration, trade, diplomatic and consular elations, investment, collaboration in science and technology, airline and shipping connections, cultural relations and collaborations in sports between the Zionist state of Israel and the apartheid Regime in South Africa.

This helps us understand why it took so long for US imperialism so long to remove Madiba Nelson Mandela from their list of terrorists.

The late pan-African giant, Ahmed Seku Ture, whom Minister Farrakhan calls his political father, played a pivotal role is pushing the UN Resolution 3379 Zionism of Racism introduced in November of 1975.

One year after the historic Million Man March, according to the internationally renowned journalist and original 60 Minutes correspondent Mike Wallace, Minister Farrakhan asked him to facilitate a meeting with key Zionist leaders which led to a private dinner with the president of the World Zionist Congress and owner of Seagram’s & Son billionaire Edgar Bronfman. After the dinner and in response to Minister Farrakhan comparing Iraqi children to children of the Holocaust, Mr Bronfman wrote a letter to Wallace stating: “I was hoping as were you that Minister Farrakhan had been serious when he discussed with you creating a new era in relations between the Black Muslims and the Jews. We now know that he cannot find it in his heart to deny his own anti- Semitism.” This was three years after Minister Farrakhan on his 60th birthday played a public Mendelssohn concerto using art as a diplomatic overture to engage the key Zionist groupings on US soil.

Three years prior in Tripoli, Libya, the WorldWide Anti- Zionist Front was formed and Kwame Ture representing the All African Peoples Revolutionary Party was named as the Chair, the main focus was to show that Zionism was indeed a direct enemy of African people. This was 14 years after the International Forum on Zionism and Racism held in Tripoli from July 24-27 1976.

Brother Ture always spoke about how SNCC’s decision to support Egypt and Syria during the Six-Day War in 1967 led to the freezing of their funds and the demise of their organisation, while Dr King and SCLC supported Israel due to Judaeo-Christian mythology and folklore. Brother Ture always stated the only good Zionist is a dead Zionist.

The correlation between the CBC the Zionist State of Israel and those working for regime change in Zimbabwe is too close for comfort.

Obi Egbuna Jnr is the US correspondent to The Herald and the External Relations Officer of Zicufa (Zimbabwe Cuba Friendship Association). His email is [email protected]

You Might Also Like

Comments

Take our Survey

We value your opinion! Take a moment to complete our survey