3rd part of 3
No Answer
On the one hand, the use of the apartheid metaphor is hardly unusual in the South African political context. Almost every political debate is framed in terms of apartheid. The ANC routinely accuses its opponents, often without justification, of having supported apartheid, and opposition parties retort by comparing the ANC to the National Party which designed the intricate apartheid system and ruled the country for five decades. The past is still present in South African political discourse, on Israel and on many other issues as well.
On the other hand, Israel is different. The ANC devotes more attention to Israel than to many domestic issues and conflicts closer to home. It denies that anti-Israel protest is often antisemitic, but on no other issue has the party been more willing to abandon its supposedly non-racial ideals. Party leaders have addressed openly antisemitic rallies; radical sectors of the party have made blatantly antisemitic statements; and ANC election posters have featured blood-drenched Israeli flags.[54]
In truth, the Israel-apartheid analogy is not entirely new. It was first used not by anti-apartheid activists, but the apartheid regime itself, protesting Israel's stance against South Africa at the UN in the 1950s and 1960s. Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd, the chief architect of apartheid, threatened South Africa's Jews with a tide of rising antisemitism should they fail to dissent from Israel's foreign policy.[55] The Afrikaans press supported Verwoerd, with many writers and correspondents comparing Zionism with apartheid and complaining that Israel's opposition to the latter was hypocritical.[56]
[T]he Israel-apartheid analogy...was first used not by anti-apartheid activists, but the apartheid regime itself, protesting Israel's stance against South Africa at the UN in the 1950s and 1960s
What the white nationalist right and the black post-colonial left share is distaste for opposition and difference combined with envy of Israel's success. Afrikaners viewed Israel, falsely, as a state of "whites" that had thrived in a sea of "non-white" nations, but which unlike South Africa had largely escaped global condemnation. Today's far-right remnant envies Israel's persistence when Afrikaners have had to give up their own national aspirations.
The ANC looked to Israel as an example of an oppressed people that had overcome racial persecution, enormous political obstacles and military weakness to build a successful, thriving nation. Israel's continued economic achievements, scientific innovation and vibrant culture in the face of terror stand in stark contrast to the ANC's mismanagement of the state and economy, which it still blames on the past.
Neither the far right nor the ANC's left can tolerate or even comprehend the economic success of South African Jews, which was largely achieved in spite of - not because of - both governments. Nor can they come to terms with a strong, successful, and democratic Israel. It goes against the dualism between strong oppressors and the weak oppressed according to which every political issue is framed in South Africa and every government failure is justified.
South Africa tells Israel that it only has a right to exist-if at all-as a victim of Nazi oppression, just as the ANC bases its claim to legitimacy, power and privilege on apartheid. But Israel has moved beyond its past, while South Africa has failed to use the memory of apartheid to motivate positive national unity and achievement. No false analogies and no re-writing of history can mask that. 
[1] About half of South Africa's Muslim population is of Malay descent and the other half is of Indian descent. There has been a significant Muslim population in the region since the late 1600s.
2 Liphshiz, Canaan. "Anti-Israel Picket in South Africa: Protestors for Hire?" Haaretz, 9 June 2007.
3 "Pew Global Attitudes Project: Spring 2007 Survey of 47 Publics," Pew Global Attitudes Project, 2007.
4 Carter, Jimmy. Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, Simon and Schuster: 2006
5 "World Conference Against Racism NGO Forum Declaration." Durban, South Africa. 03 Sep 2001 .
6 Braun, Elihai. "The UN World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, Durban, South Africa."
7 "South Africa." CIA World Factbook.
8 McCarthy, Rory. "Israel Risks Apartheid-Like Struggle if Two-State Solution Fails, Says Olmert." The Guardian. 30 Nov 2007.
9 Pogrund, Benjamin. "Israel is a democracy in which Arabs vote." Focus 40 (2005).
10 Freedom House. Freedom in the World 2007.
11 Klinghoffer, Arthur Jay. Oiling the Wheels of Apartheid: Exposing South Africa's Secret Oil Trade (London: Lynne Rienner, 1989).
12 El-Fassed, Arjan. "The Mandela memo."
13Brandeis University. "Full coverage of the historic Jan. 23rd visit by former President Jimmy Carter."
14"Walter Sisulu: A giant of the liberation struggle." ANC Today 9 May 2003.
15 Tutu, Desomd. "Palestine and Apartheid." Speech at Friends of Sabeel Conference, Boston, 27 Oct 2007.
16 Kasrils, Ronnie. Armed and Dangerous: From Undercover Struggle to Freedom. Updated ed. Johannesburg: Jonathan Ball, 2004.
17 Baruch, Ilan. "SA Needs to Know Too," Cape Times, 3 July 2007.
18 Dugard, John. "Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights
in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967." 29 Jan 2007. http://daccess-ods.un.org/access.nsf/Get?Open&DS=A/HRC/4/17&Lang=E
19 Ibid, p. 6.
20 International Herald Tribune, "UN Expert Calls Palestinian Terrorism `Inevitable Consequence' of Israeli Occupation," 26 Feb 2008.
21 BBC News. "West `pandering to Darfur rebels'." 4 Oct 2007.
22 Speech at the Kennedy School of Government, moderated by Prof. Duncan Kennedy, 25 Oct 2007.
23 "SA to Work with Zimbabwe's Spies," BBC News, 18 Nov 2005.
24 Mbeki, Thabo. "Aluta continua." ANC Today 26 Nov 2004 .
25 "Tutu: I'll pray for Mbeki." News24.com 29 Nov. 2004 .
26 BBC News. "ANC seeks to calm war of words." 30 Nov. 2004 .
27 "Declaration of Conscience Challenges Roots of Mistrust." ANC Today 7 Dec. 2001 .
28 Keinon, Herb and Associated Press. "South Africa Invites Haniyeh to Visit." Jerusalem Post 3 May 2007 .
29 Kasrils, Ronnie. "Bigotry on Israel." Business Day 15 May 2007 .
30 ANC 52nd National Conference Resolution 52. Polokwane, 2007 < http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/conf/conference52/resolutions-f.html>.
31 "International Relations: A Just World and a Better Africa is a Possibility." ANC Discussion Document, Polokwane Conference 2007 ,
32 Moorcraft, Paul. "South Africa: `Allah's Bomb' and Other Nuclear Nightmares." Business Day, 14 January 2008.
33 Alon, Gideon. "Iran may get uranium from S. Africa following cooperation deal." Ha'aretz 18 Aug 2004.
34 PressTV. "S. Africa says Iran visit positive." 18 Apr 2007.
35"Harare Regime Scores `Universally Low' Approval Rating." The Star 8 Dec. 2004.
36 "SA Oil-for-Food Hearing to Start in May," Mail and Guardian, 21 April 2006
37 Hamlyn, Michael. "DA Presses Protector Over Oilgate." I-Net Bridge 24 Jan 2008 < http://iafrica.com/news/sa/821180.htm>.
38 Pollak, Joel. "South African Foreign Policy For Sale?" Guide to the Perplexed 15 Jul. 2007 < http://guidetotheperplexed.blogspot.com/2007/07/15-july-2007-south-african-foreign.html>,
39 "Diplomacy: Israel Closes SA Trade Office." African Business 1 Jul. 2004
40 Holiday, Anthony. "Has Mbeki changed line on Israel?" Cape Times 10 Jan. 2006.
41 "Call to mobilize against Israeli occupation." ANC Today 20 May 2007 < http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/anctoday/2007/at20.htm#art1>,
42 See "South Africa Annual Country Reports" 1997-2006, The Stephen Roth Institute for The Study of Contemporary Antisemitism and Racism,
43 Ibid.
44 "South Africa 2002," The Stephen Roth Institute for The Study of Contemporary Antisemitism and Racism,
45 Ibid.
46 "South Africa 2006," The Stephen Roth Institute for The Study of Contemporary Antisemitism and Racism,
47 South Africa Press Association. "`Apartheid Israel' Worse Than Apartheid SA." 10 Ju. 2006 < http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__national/&articleid=276860>,
48 Krengel, Zev. "A letter from a South African Jewish community leader." Ha'aretz (27 Apr 2005).
49 "South Africa 2006." The Stephen Roth Institute for The Study of Contemporary Antisemitism and Racism.
50 Tshwete, Steve. "Where was the Portuguese community when the majority of South Africans suffered the crimes of apartheid?"
51 Nathan, Laurie. "The Declaration of Commitment by White South Africans." Presentation to Harold Wolpe Forum, Cape Town, 20 Feb 2001.
52 Ibid.
53 Kasrils, Ronnie. Debates of the National Assembly: 6852.
54 Barrell, Howard. "Rasool's brothers linked to anti-Semitic poster." Mail & Guardian 24 Nov 2000 .
55 Shimoni, Gideon. Jews and Zionism: The South African Experience 1910-1967. Cape Town: Oxford UP, 1980. 310-1.
56 Shimoni, Gideon. Jews and Zionism: The South African Experience 1910-1967. Cape Town: Oxford UP, 1980. 312-13.
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
No comments:
Post a Comment