Africa-Press – Mozambique. Much to the anger of many Mozambican jurists, the chairperson of the Association of Mozambican Judges (AMJ), Esmeraldo Matavele, has accepted an invitation from the Israeli authorities to visit the state of Israel, despite the genocidal violence imposed by Israel against the people of Palestine.
One of the country’s most experienced judges, and a member of the Supreme Court, Norberto Carrilho, has written an open letter protesting against the visit, which “raises serious ethical and political questions that cannot be ignored”.
He pointed out that the visit “is taking place in a context when the State of Israel has been the subject of generalised international condemnation, because of its military actions in Gaza, with devastating consequences for the Palestinian civilian population”. Carrilho noted that the Israeli actions have been described by many organisations and experts “as possible war crimes or even genocide”.
Carrilho warned that “accepting an official invitation, with all expenses paid by the Israeli government, at a moment of such a serious humanitarian situation, may be interpreted as a gesture of complacency or even of tacit legitimation of the actions of the Israeli regime”.
Mozambican magistrates, added Carrilho, “have the duty to preserve our independence, neutrality and institutional integrity, not only in the face of domestic conflicts, but also before the international community. The public perception of our impartiality is an essential part of our moral authority”.
He noted that, historically, Africa has been in solidarity with the struggle of the Palestinian people for their self-determination, and so “the lack of a clear position, or the institutional presence on an official programme promoted by an occupying power, can be seen as a lack of sensitivity or of disrespect for the cause of self-determination”.
It is not a matter of denying an interest in understanding foreign legal systems or of promoting international exchanges, “which are always welcome, but of recognising that there are moments and contexts in which silence or presence may mean complicity”.
The invitation to Matavele came from the Israeli embassy in Angola. The declared purpose of the visit is for “senior jurists from various parts of Africa” to come into contact with Israeli legal practice, including questions concerning “maintenance of the rule of law and the protection of human rights”.
But the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories is a continual violation of international law, and the murder and starvation of Palestinian civilians occurs in full view of the world every day.
According to a source cited in Monday’s issue of the independent newssheet “Mediafax”, the invitation was initially addressed not to the AMJ but to the President of the Mozambican Supreme Court, Adelino Muchanga, who passed it on to Matavele.
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