On February 18, 2024, Al-Muntada Hall at the Yasser Arafat Museum hosted an event commemorating the 34th anniversary of Nelson Mandela's release from prison. The event, organized by the Fatah Movement's Commission for Popular Organizations, Federations, and Professional Syndicates, featured a film about Mandela produced by the Yasser Arafat Foundation, a photo exhibition, and Palestinian and South African national anthems. The event was organized in appreciation of South Africa and Mandela's support in the struggle against the Israeli war of genocide.
Dr. Ahmed Soboh, Director General of the Yasser Arafat Foundation, emphasized the deep relationship between the State of Palestine and South Africa, which began with Yasser Arafat and the PLO, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the liberation movements in South Africa. He recalled the examples that brought Mandela and Arafat together since Mandela's release from prison in 1990, including communication on the day of his liberation, meeting Mandela to congratulate him on his freedom, attending Mandela's inauguration as President of South Africa in 1994 and Mandela's visit to Palestine in 1996. Dr. Soboh also mentioned Mandela's famous quote, "We know very well that our freedom in southern Africa is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians."
Dr. Ahmed confirmed that the Yasser Arafat Foundation has close ties with South Africa's institutions, including the Mandela Foundation, and has ongoing cooperation. Dr.Soboh expressed gratitude to Mandela, his party, his people, and his state for their support and assistance in embodying independence and stopping genocide committed by the Israeli occupation. The Chargé d'Affairs of the South African Embassy in Palestine emphasized the historical and militant relationship between South Africa and Palestine, based on shared values of rejecting injustice, occupation, and racism, as well as on the close relationship between the two leaders Arafat and Mandela, and the continuation of these ties with Presidents Mahmoud Abbas and Cyril Ramaphosa.
Qaddoura Fares, head of the Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, praised Mandela's presence as one of the most important castles of the revolution and a source of inspiration for Palestinian leaders. He emphasized that Arafat and Mandela died before their dream of liberating Palestine was completed, but they should rest as the struggle continues. Dr. Muhammad Al-Shalalda, Minister of Justice, said "The world memorizes the names of the leaders who worked to liberate their country, not the leaders who colonized the country and stole its resources". History immortalized Mandela's name as an international fighter and an icon of freedom worldwide. He also emphasized the political and legal importance of South Africa's lawsuit against the occupation for committing a genocidal war against the Gaza Strip.
