By Margaret Kamba 

"Zimbabwe is no stranger to atrocities of the West," says ZANU PF Secretary for External Relations Cde Simbarashe Mumbengegwi. 

His remarks were made during the celebrations to mark the International Day of Solidarity with Palestine held in Harare this Wednesday.

Israel continues to wreck havoc in Palestinian with an estimated more than 15 000 victims suffering, 7000 said to be under the rubble, 38 000 injured and more than 1.5 million displaced.

Cde Mumbengegwi said massacres were witnessed in and out of Zimbabwe as the locals resisted occupation.

"We in Zimbabwe went through a very bitter war of liberation. We know how brutal the enemy can become. We were under occupation. In fact during the colonial era, some of you may not remember that we actually had a national holiday on the 12th of September every year which was called Occupation Day. When we resisted against that occupation we were branded terrorists," Cde Mumbengegwi said.

"Is there any higher level of terrorism higher than occupying a people, their country, their resources, their wealth and when you resist against the occupation, you are branded a terrorist? We all know of Nyadzonia, Tembwe, Mukushi and freedom camp and how innocent people were massacred by the Rhodesian regime in retaliating for the defeat they were facing in the battlefield. 

"Indeed they may kill, they may torture, they may put in prison but you can never kill, torture or imprison an idea whose time has come. So we as Zimbabweans having experienced similar but not comprehensible brutality can feel for the Palestinian people and are gathered here to express our commitment and solidarity with the struggle of the Palestinian people. 

"We are a small country but definitely the voices of many small countries will become a big voice to call upon the double standards of the western world to be abandoned."