Relatives of Arabs killed in October riots
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Arab Israelis to get apartheid lessons in South Africa
Delegation to learn about struggle against establishment, killing of citizens by government
Arab study trip abroad: An official Arab-Israeli delegation will head to South Africa over the weekend in order to learn about the local population's struggle with apartheid and the killing of citizens by the government.
The delegation, which has been initiated by the Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, will be joined by Shawki Khatib, who heads the Higher Arab Monitoring Committee, as well as relatives of Arabs killed in the October 2000 riots.
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In a talk with Ynet, Khatib said: "We said we will act in any way possible in order to bring the truth to light. This does not stem from a desire for revenge, but rather, a future vision of coexistence."
"We did not choose South Africa randomly," another Monitoring Committee official said. "We find great similarities between us and them."
Meetings with attorneys
During the visit, scheduled to last six days, delegation members are expected to meet with attorneys who handled relevant issues over the years. In addition, the visitors will meet with civil rights groups that participated in South African commissions of inquiry that looked into the killing of citizens by the establishment.
The delegation will also be meeting with families who lost their loved ones during the apartheid era.
"The objective of encountering this reality is to study…we have decided to bring the truth to light, and perhaps overseas they would be able to handle it better," Khatib said. "We won't remain silent until the guilty parties are punished."
