Jun 5, 2024
A man claiming to be a former Zionist has stabbed a woman to death and wounded her husband and son in Durban, South Africa, allegedly for their pro-Palestine views.
Halima Hoosen-Preston was fatally stabbed in her home in the early hours of Sunday morning, while her husband and 14-year-old son were critically injured in the brutal attack.
The suspect, Grayson Beare, 44, who has been charged with murder and two counts of attempted murder reportedly said he stabbed them “because they supported Palestine,” according to a police spokesperson cited by local media.
“Police responded to reports of a stabbing and, upon arrival at the crime scene, a man was found in possession of a blood-stained knife. A woman was lying on the floor bleeding, so were two men who also had stab wounds. The woman was declared dead at the scene and the two injured victims were rushed to a nearby hospital,” Robert Netshiunda is quoted as saying.
“The motive of the violence is unknown, although a 10-year-old survivor has told the police that the suspect stated that he was stabbing them because they supported Palestine. The man also allegedly threatened to rape the little girl. Police investigations continue.”
Beare was reportedly arrested at the crime scene “in possession of a blood-stained knife.”
A Glenmore woman. Halima Firoza Hoosen, was stabbed to death in the early hours of yesterday morning in Durban.
The killer gained entry into her home.
Two of her relatives were also stabbed and are in critical condition in hospital.The arrested man has confessed to the murder… pic.twitter.com/nYs3vJzTEt
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) June 3, 2024
‘You Were a Zionist?’
In a video shared on social media, Beare claimed that “she and her family thought it was entertaining that my cousins were killed in Israel.”
Someone off camera then asked him if he was a Jew to which he replied, “Not by identity, but I have family there. I have rejected the religion completely.”
Asked if he is a Zionist, he replied: “No not anymore.” “You were a Zionist?” the person pressed, to which he nodded in agreement.
According to reports, Beare is the son of the chairperson of both Beare Holdings and the South African Holocaust and Genocide Foundation Julian Beare. The family has distanced themselves from Beare rejecting “any association with what he said and what he has done.”
‘Fanning Flames of Hatred’
In a statement, the movement South African Jews for a Free Palestine (SAJFP) condemned “with our utmost horror” the fatal attack on Hoosen-Preston and her family, saying “Many insist on fanning the flames of hatred amongst us.”
“They may claim that the alleged perpetrator is none of their responsibility. They cry instead that anti-Zionism is antisemitism — a crime in South Africa — but do not have substantive cases to back their claims, often against those who see Zionism as an explicit articulation of racism.
Protestors wearing the kuffiyeh and waving Palestinian flags gathered outside the court on Tuesday where Beare appeared demanding “Justice for Halima.”
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) in South Africa condemned the “brutal murder” of “a pro-Palestinian Muslim woman” saying it is outraged by “these senseless attacks…at the hands of Israeli supporters.”
“The alleged perpetrator appears to be a Zionist and Israeli supporter, driven by anti-Palestinian racism and Islamophobia fuelled by the relentless hate-filled Israel’s Zionist propaganda machine in South Africa and globally.”
Nationals Serving in Israeli Army
The movement drew attention to South Africans serving in the Israeli military saying it has been supported by local Zionist institutions.
“Yet, this openly violates South African laws such as the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act, 1998 and the implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Act, 2002.”
The PSC said it is a “toxic mix of Zionist Jewish victimhood together with local and international impunity… that creates a fertile environment for violate attacks by Zionist against Palestine solidarity activists and supporters such as murder victim, Halima Hoosen-Preston and her family.”
South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, has warned that nationals who served in the Israeli army will be prosecuted upon re-entering the country.
The local Embassy of the State of Palestine also extended its condolences to the family of the victims who were attacked in Durban “because they supported Palestine.”
“Our hearts go out to their young daughter who witnessed this horrific act. Our thoughts and prayers are with the husband and son, fighting for their lives in hospital,” the embassy said. “The Hoosen-Preston family’s support for the Palestinian cause will forever be remembered and honoured.”
The case was postponed to June 11, with Beare having to undergo a mental assessment.
Although the South African government has led a case of genocide against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, this is not the first time that a pro-Palestine supporter has been attacked in the country.
In April, footage circulated on social media showing two men with an Israeli flag attacking two women activists in Cape Town.
Last November, Palestine supporters clashed with police after a pro-Israel event was set to be held at the Sea Point promenade, a public space popular with picnicking families.
The ‘SA Stands With Israel’ event was called off before it could start after tensions arose between its organizers and hundreds of Palestinian supporters who also gathered at the promenade.
Ongoing Genocide
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 36,586 Palestinians have been killed, and 83,074 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide. Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
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