WeeklySA_AdminDISCORD: Ruling party says the excursion by DA, PA and ACDP MPs constituted “a clear endorsement of Israel policies of racial segregation and oppression” faced by Palestinians…
By Lehlohonolo Lehana
The African National Congress (ANC) has condemned MPs from the Democratic Alliance (DA), Patriotic Alliance (PA) and African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) for going to Israel on a fact finding mission.
The delegation included DA spokesperson on justice, Glynnis Breytenbach, and DA spokesperson on international relations, Emma Louise Powell. They were accompanied by fellow DA MPs Katherine Christie, Bridget Masango, Nicholas Myburgh, Liam Jacobs and Bonginkosi Madikizela. Patriotic Alliance MPs Ashley Sauls and Millicent Mathopa were also on the trip, together with ACDP MP Steve Swart.
The trip follows the National Assembly’s adoption of a motion in November, urging the government to suspend all diplomatic relations with Israel until a ceasefire is reached.
The South African Friends of Israel described the visit as a “week-long journey to witness first-hand the human impact of the conflict in Israel”.
“All delegates observed that, and will confirm with South African media, that there was no evidence of apartheid and, to the contrary, Israel is a vibrant progressive multi-racial and multi-ethnic society, in which the rights of all citizens are protected and upheld by the rule of law,” stated South African Friends of Israel.
In a now-deleted Facebook video recorded in Israel, and posted at the weekend, Sauls stated that he and his delegation had already met with a governor and were scheduled to meet with the president.
“We support Israel and believe that Hamas is a terrorist organization which must be annihilated so that there is peace for both Palestinians and Israelis.”
MP Steven Swart, a member of the opposition African Christian Democrat Party, which has long been pro-Israel, said, “We were hoping that with the government of national unity the anti-Israel voices in South Africa would be more muted as there are a lot of political parties that have a pro-Israel stance, but we don’t see that change yet, and they are continuing with the court case at the International Court of Justice.
The ANC, which has spearheaded South Africa’s anti-Israel foreign policy, won only 40% of the vote in last May’s election, forcing it to form a national unity government.
The trip comes after a time when South Africa has emerged as one of the most active opponents of Israel around the globe, having taken it to the U.N.’s International Court of Justice on genocide charges last year over the war against Hamas in Gaza.
The ANC study group on International Relations and Corporation Chief Whip Andisiwe Kumbaca said, “The ANC unequivocally condemns the recent visit to Israel by members of Democratic Alliance (DA), Patriotic Alliance (PA) and African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), who self-identified as the “South African friends of Israel.”
“This visit, presented as a ‘fact-finding mission’, constitutes a clear endorsement of Israel policies of racial segregation and oppression, while attempting to downplay the lived reality of apartheid-like conditions faced by Palestinians.”
She added the ANC rejects the false claim and misleading claims made by these political parties, which include the assertion that there is “no evidence of apartheid in Israel and that the state is “vibrant, progressive, multiracial and multi-ethnic society”, where rights of all citizens are protected by the rule of law.”
Israeli bombardment has killed 1,542 people since it renewed the war on 18 March, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has also issued evacuation orders that have forced nearly 400,000 people to move. Israel has also imposed a complete blockade on the entry of food, medical supplies and all other goods since 2 March.
Israel insists it always follows international law in Gaza, and has also argued that the particular nature of this conflict, with Hamas fighters hidden among the civilian population, meant collateral damage can sometimes happen.
Israeli ministers insist there is enough food in Gaza and say the bombardment and seizure of territory aims to pressure Hamas into releasing the hostages it is still holding, whom it kidnapped during the 7 October 2023 attack.
Under the fourth Geneva Convention, occupying powers, as Israel is in Gaza, must ensure civilians have food and medicine, and protect hospitals and health workers. The convention also prohibits the forcible transfer of entire populations from occupied territories.
The Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
More than 50 912 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
