STATEMENT BY FORMER PRESIDENT FW DE KLERK ON CALLS BY THE SACP AND COSATU FOR THE EXPULSION OF THE ISRAELI AMBASSADOR
I am disturbed by the call of the SACP and COSATU for the expulsion of the Israeli Ambassador following Israel’s refusal to grant Minister Blade Nzimande a visa to hold discussions with the Palestinian authorities in Ramallah.
Although I agree with the Jewish Board of Deputies that the visa refusal was regrettable, the limitation of contact between South Africa and Israel would not be in the interests of those who still support a peaceful and negotiated solution to the problems of Israel/Palestine.
However, after the South African government’s refusal last year of a visa to the Dalai Lama - a quintessential man of peace - Dr Nzimande is hardly in a position to preach to others regarding their visa policies.
The SACP call is the latest salvo in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign that seeks to limit South Africa’s relations with Israel. The campaign is misguided and will certainly not help to promote a peaceful solution to the Israeli/Palestinian imbroglio.
South Africa’s relationship with Israel is of great significance to the search for a peaceful and negotiated solution. 25 years ago we South Africans showed that a problem that was just as intractable as that now confronting Israel and Palestine could be solved peacefully, through compromise and negotiations. We still present a model that can help to inspire others dealing with what they regard as existential challenges.