Hamas Visit to South Africa Affirms Power of Resistance
By Iqbal Jassat
In a move that’s symptomatic of South Africa’s love-hate relationship with Western powers, particularly America, the ruling ANC government has finally taken the plunge to roll out the red carpet for Hamas’ leadership.
Construed to be a bold move given that at Israel’s prodding and demonisation of Hamas as a “terrorist” organisation, the United States and other western powers have had their ability to interact with Israel’s nemesis severely restricted.
South Africa of course doesn’t belong to that club which criminalises legitimate freedom movements as terrorist. After all, the ANC itself was treated as a leper by the Western bloc of powers at a time when Israel’s links and active collaboration with the apartheid regime was at an all time high.
Numerous studies and books have been published recording this collaboration. Beyond trade and cultural ties, South Africa’s National party ensured that apartheid was able to “flourish” via strong Israeli military and nuclear weapons ties.