The sycophantic SA Communist Party's, Solly Mapaila, favours avoiding the unpleasant realities of delivering to his people, preferring rather the diversionary tactics of the ANC, claiming that "Israel's ‘South Africa' moment is here'. At least he has some remnants of honesty by conceding that Israel does not practice so called ‘petty Apartheid', and does not practice racial separation, alleging that "It was grand Apartheid that truly oppressed and subjugated, while 'petty' Apartheid - designed to humiliate and dehumanise - rubbed salt in the wound."
What better timing, with an election approaching to shift the focus to issues far removed from the dire life circumstances facing half our electorate? While half our people face hunger every day and many millions suffer from lack of potable water and sanitation, guess what keeps our Minister of International Relations Maite Nkoana-Mashabane up at night, the plight of the Palestinians. While our government already finances the Palestinian Authority and its Ambassador and his staff costing South Africa's taxpayers close to R40 million, there is a sudden flurry of activity to do more for Palestine.
Another ‘South Africa' moment was supposed to be the Solidarity Conference that was held on February 6th, which was purportedly supported by the ANC, the SA Council of Churches and 75 NGO'S which put the following proposals before the Department of International Relations Portfolio Committee;
- South Africa must support Palestinian students
- Entry to South Africa for Palestinians must be made easier.
- South Africa must support the Palestinian health system
- South Africa must support infrastructure in Gaza and the West Bank
- South Africans must lobby for the financial and other support of the Palestinians for socioeconomic development
While these appear to be lofty aspirations, it begs the question; what about supporting our own students and providing better infrastructure delivery and health services to our own people. More women and children die from complications of childbirth in South Africa than in the Palestinian territories. Eleven million South African children live in households with an income of less than R570 per month. Palestinians live longer than do South Africans. Palestinians living in Israel, or in Judea and Samaria do not suffer from malnutrition, which is widespread in South Africa.
Palestinians have unfettered access to the best medical facilities and technology that exist anywhere on this planet. Palestinians are the best educated Arabs in the world and whereas no Universities existed in 1967 in the Arab areas, there are now over 15 Universities. Lest it is overlooked, Arabs attend Israeli Universities in large numbers, even those situated across the ‘green line' in Ariel. In Haifa University and the Technion, more Arabs attend than their proportion of the general population.
Not content with ‘service delivery' to these unfortunate Palestinians, our esteemed ruling party wallowing in guilt for not doing more to help, finds it necessary to officially endorse boycotts and sanctions against the Jewish state. It is significant that Israel, is the only Jewish state in the world and it is therefore significant if it alone is singled out. The measures proposed by the Solidarity Conference, were that;
- South Africa must set up a special court under the Rome statute to deal with (Israeli) war crimes
- South Africa must expeditiously deal with the ‘gaza docket'
- South Africa's parliament must adopt the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) which found Israel ‘guilty' of ‘Apartheid'.
- South Africa must stop all financial transactions with Israeli settlement companies and banks.
- Conference supports the Palestinian led call to boycott, divestment and sanctions(BDS)
- Apply complete military, financial and political sanctions against Israel
- South Africa and parliament must campaign for Israel to be suspended from the SWIFT banking network.
- Our government and parliament must table the above at the AU, UN and IPU.
It will forever be a stain on the judgement and fair-mindedness of our ruling party and its cohorts that they have allowed themselves to be associated with these harmful and hateful proposals, and it insults the memory of those people who truly suffered under ‘Apartheid' and still continue to suffer.
We should now be holding our ruling party and its cohorts that wield real power, accountable to grapple with the real and vital interests of our people. We should not allow our politicians the comfort that they can concern themselves so intimately with a people not even on our continent and allocate many millions of money that we don't have, but which will be have to be provided from our deficit and incur interest charges, to expunge the guilt that they feel for the Palestinians.
Or is our ruling party merely partaking in ‘dirty' politicking in the lead up to the elections, to curry favour with the large Muslim vote, especially in the Western Cape, where it is desperate to overturn the Democratic Alliance ruling party. The demand by the Solidarity Conference, calling on ‘All South African political parties to clearly communicate their stance on the plight of the Palestinian people and make it timeously known in the build up to the 2014 elections', exposes the real intent and agenda behind the timing of these mendacious political statements. The ANC has clearly sacrificed its foundational lofty ideals and human rights concerns, for short term gains in the upcoming elections.
Ben Levitas is Chairman of the South African Zionist Federation Cape Council
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