{"id":9513,"date":"2023-10-12T14:03:26","date_gmt":"2023-10-12T14:03:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/en\/?p=9513"},"modified":"2023-10-12T14:03:26","modified_gmt":"2023-10-12T14:03:26","slug":"what-south-african-politicians-responses-to-the-current-israel-palestine-conflict-reveal-about-historical-alliances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/en\/9513\/what-south-african-politicians-responses-to-the-current-israel-palestine-conflict-reveal-about-historical-alliances\/","title":{"rendered":"What South African politicians’ responses to the current Israel-Palestine conflict reveal about historical alliances"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Asher Lubotzky*<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hamas\u2019\u00a0brazen and deadly<\/a>\u00a0attack on Israel on October 7 elicited varied responses within the South African political scene. These diverse reactions reflect the long history,\u00a0since before democracy in 1994<\/a>, of South African engagement with the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The conflict holds symbolic significance for many in the country.<\/p>\n

As with the war in Ukraine, taking sides on the issue also allows the different parties to highlight their position on the struggle for or against global western dominance<\/p>\n

The South African government, led by the African National Congress (ANC),\u00a0characterised<\/a>\u00a0the recent events as a \u201cdevastating escalation\u201d. However, it primarily attributed the situation to Israeli policies, including \u201cthe continued illegal occupation of Palestine land, continued settlement expansion, desecration of the Al Aqsa Mosque and Christian holy sites, and ongoing oppression of the Palestinian people\u201d.<\/p>\n

It called for<\/p>\n

the immediate cessation of violence, restraint, and peace between Israel and Palestine.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It also urged Israel to embrace the\u00a0two-state solution<\/a>\u00a0as a means of resolving the conflict. The two-state solution suggests the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For its part, the ANC put out its own statement in the name of the party. This gave even bolder support for Hamas. The party\u2019s national spokesperson, Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri, defended Hamas\u2019 actions, invoking the enduring solidarity between the ANC and the Palestinian cause.<\/p>\n

It can no longer be disputed that South Africa\u2019s apartheid history is occupied Palestine\u2019s reality\u2026 the decision by Palestinians to respond to the brutality of the settler Israeli apartheid regime is unsurprising.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a far-left pan-Africanist party which was formed after a split from the ANC, and is now the third largest party in parliament,\u00a0endorsed<\/a>\u00a0Hamas\u2019 use of violence. Drawing parallels with the anti-apartheid struggle, the party\u2019s spokesperson squarely placed the blame on Israel.<\/p>\n

Conversely, several movements offered their solidarity with Israel. The liberal Democratic Alliance, the main opposition party, vehemently\u00a0condemned<\/a>\u00a0the \u201cunprovoked attack\u201d by Hamas. It decried the<\/p>\n

senseless violence and all acts of terror against innocent civilians, women and children.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Some centrist or traditionalist parties, such as the\u00a0Patriotic Alliance<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Inkatha Freedom Party<\/a>, also\u00a0voiced their criticism<\/a>\u00a0of the attacks. South Africa\u2019s principal Jewish organisations also\u00a0extended their support for Israel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Historical roots<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Unwavering support for Palestinian nationhood has remained a steadfast element of South African foreign policy since the ANC came into power in 1994. This stance has seen the country become one of the most prominent voices critical of Israel globally.<\/p>\n

The ANC has thrown its\u00a0support<\/a>\u00a0behind the\u00a0Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions<\/a>, a movement aiming to replicate the iconic anti-apartheid boycott campaign. South African officials have consistently accused Israel of\u00a0practising apartheid<\/a>. The country\u2019s parliament recently\u00a0voted<\/a>\u00a0to formally downgrade the country\u2019s relations with Israel from embassy to a liaison office.<\/p>\n

I have been researching the history of the relationship between South Africa and Israel for nearly a decade. My\u00a0research<\/a>\u00a0has found that both the ANC and some pan-Africanist formations once held more complex perspectives on Israel and Zionism.<\/p>\n

They generally expressed support for Jewish statehood from the 1940s to the 1960s. For instance, in the early 1960s, both the ANC and its primary rival in the anti-apartheid struggle, the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC), considered Israel as a potential ally in their battle against apartheid. The PAC also received substantial financial assistance from Israel until 1970.<\/p>\n

However, the ANC\u2019s resentment towards Israel for its\u00a0collaboration with white minority rule<\/a>\u00a0during the 1970s and 1980s, coupled with the perception of Palestinians suffering an apartheid-like oppression, has come to shape the party\u2019s perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.<\/p>\n

Since the late 1960s, the ANC has cultivated strong ties with the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO). By the 1980s, these ties had evolved into a strategic and operational alliance between the two movements. In recent years, with the weakening of the PLO, the ANC has\u00a0shifted<\/a>\u00a0its support towards the PLO\u2019s erstwhile rival, Hamas. The Muslim constituency in South Africa,\u00a0many of whom are ANC supporters<\/a>\u00a0and activists, further contributes to the party\u2019s pro-Palestinian stance.<\/p>\n

The DA\u2019s support of Israel also has historical roots. Historically, liberal or so-called \u201cmoderate\u201d parties and individuals in South Africa have been the most consistent pro-Israeli political voice in the country.<\/p>\n

Unlike the post-1970s ANC, many liberals have regarded<\/a>\u00a0Israel as a democracy with a decent record in treating minorities. In the Western Cape, which is the only province governed by the DA, there has been a greater willingness to explore\u00a0collaboration<\/a>\u00a0with Israel.<\/p>\n

In addition, in recent decades, various Christian and traditionalist forces have also strongly tended towards pro-Israeli views.<\/p>\n

South Africa last asked people for their religious affiliation in a household survey in 2013. The figures\u00a0at the time showed there were<\/a>\u00a0just over 1 million Muslims and just over 101,500 people of the Jewish faith. More recent data indicates that the Jewish population in the country was\u00a0dropped<\/a>\u00a0to about 50,000 people. The latest census puts the entire population at\u00a062 million<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Long legacy of international alliances<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The diverse perspectives of South Africa\u2019s political parties on Israel\/Palestine also mirror their distinct international allegiances. Having\u00a0valued the assistance of the Soviet Union<\/a>\u00a0and China in their struggle against apartheid, and nurturing deep-seated grievances against the western role in\u00a0supporting apartheid<\/a>, the ANC and more radical movements have tended to stand beside actors that challenge the US on the global stage.<\/p>\n

This policy has been particularly evident in South Africa\u2019s\u00a0sympathetic stance towards Russia<\/a>, even amid Moscow\u2019s invasion of Ukraine. Conversely, the opposition DA has aligned itself with pro-western stances.<\/p>\n

However, it\u2019s uncertain whether most South Africans support the ANC\u2019s approach to contemporary foreign relations issues. A\u00a0poll<\/a>\u00a0from November 2022 found that 74.3% of citizens condemned Russia\u2019s aggression against Ukraine.<\/p>\n

It is likely that the Palestinian cause enjoys higher levels of popular support. But, there are indications that views on Israel\/Palestine are far from clear-cut. A\u00a0study<\/a>\u00a0from 2017, for instance, found that there was similar support in South Africa for both Israelis\u2019 and Palestinians\u2019 \u201crights to a homeland\u201d (54% and 53%, respectively). But the study also concluded that actual knowledge of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was limited, with only 29% having \u201cheard of\u201d the conflict.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

South Africa\u2019s official stance on Israel-Palestine is one of the most critical in Africa, particularly compared to other states south of the Sahara. Over the past decade, Israel has seen increasing bilateral relations<\/a>\u00a0with various African states. Several opinion\u00a0polls<\/a>\u00a0indicate that public perception of Israel in sub-Saharan Africa is among the most favourable worldwide.<\/p>\n

Lingering divide<\/strong><\/h3>\n

South African politicians have framed the recent escalation between Hamas and Israel within the broader context of their perspectives on global dynamics. As with the war in Ukraine, the governing ANC and more radical elements unequivocally support the Palestinians \u2013 their longstanding allies. They view Hamas as representing the Palestinian cause, and perceive Israel as an apartheid state.<\/p>\n

The liberal DA\u2019s support for Israel is also shaped by historical and contemporary factors. It mirrors the enduring liberal backing of Israel in South Africa. It also allows the party to align itself with western governments that have recently expressed support for Israel.<\/p>\n

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\n*Scholar in Residence, University of Houston<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The South African government, led by the African National Congress (ANC),\u00a0characterised\u00a0the recent events as a \u201cdevastating escalation\u201d. However, it primarily attributed the situation to Israeli policies, including \u201cthe continued illegal occupation of Palestine land, continued settlement expansion, desecration of the Al Aqsa Mosque and Christian holy sites, and ongoing oppression of the Palestinian people\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9514,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":7,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"source_name":"The Conversation","source_url":"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/israel-palestine-conflict-divides-south-african-politicians-what-their-responses-reveal-about-historical-alliances-215349","via_name":"","via_url":"","override_template":"0","override":[{"template":"1","single_blog_custom":"","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"top","share_float_style":"share-monocrhome","show_share_counter":"0","show_view_counter":"0","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"0","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"0","show_post_reading_time":"0","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","show_zoom_button":"0","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_prev_next_post":"0","show_popup_post":"0","number_popup_post":"1","show_author_box":"0","show_post_related":"1","show_inline_post_related":"1"}],"override_image_size":"0","image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post":"0","trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post":"0","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","sponsored_post_name":"","sponsored_post_url":"","sponsored_post_logo_enable":"0","sponsored_post_logo":"","sponsored_post_desc":"","disable_ad":"0"},"jnews_primary_category":{"id":"","hide":""},"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":{"override_view_counter":"0","view_counter_number":"0","override_share_counter":"0","share_counter_number":"0","override_like_counter":"0","like_counter_number":"0","override_dislike_counter":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,35,30],"tags":[1588,1592,1587,122],"class_list":["post-9513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-analysis-reports","category-ana-politics","category-southern-africa","tag-israel","tag-israel-palestine-conflict","tag-palestine","tag-south-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9513"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9513\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qiraatafrican.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}