Pandor’s call for Israel to be declared an ‘apartheid state’ laughable

At a Palestinian Heads of Missions (HOM) in Africa conference, held in Pretoria last Tuesday, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco), Naledi Pandor, told the international community that they ought to consider labelling the only democracy in the Middle East as an apartheid state.

What is laughable, is that she expects these nations, which largely value and uphold democracy as the world’s most progressive political system, to take her seriously.

As usual, nothing was said about the lack of democracy and transparency in the way the Palestinian Authority (PA) governs the West Bank.

ALSO READ: SA calls for lasting peace between Palestine and Israel

In the last few days, Palestinian lawyers staged a protest against the authoritarian Palestinian government that Pandor supports.

The parliament is defunct and the only “rule of law” is the diktats which emanate from the pronouncements made by leader Mahmoud Abbas.

Abbas has become the de facto president-for-life.

Yet, according to Pandor, the most unprogressive person on the African continent is the African Union (AU) Commission chair Moussa Faki Mahamat because he granted observer status in the continental body to the state of Israel.

While Pandor embarked on this political grandstanding, employees of the ANC picketed outside the party’s pre-policy conference gala dinner, demanding they be paid their outstanding salaries.

Medical personnel at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto are struggling to provide care to patients, using infrastructure built in the previous century.

About 60% to 70% of South African pupils who leave high school will be unemployed.

When it comes to the ANC, logic is not necessarily the lens through which issues are analysed.

A logic-based examination of the situation between Israel and the Palestinians will show that the hallmarks of apartheid are not present in how Israel conducts itself.

Israel has shown through the adoption of systematic legislation that it upholds the rights of the Arab citizens of Israel.

READ MORE: Pandor’s comparisons between Ukraine and Israel ‘outrageous’

Not only do they have full voting rights, but the city of Jerusalem has also instituted a programme to provide higher education and employment opportunities in East Jerusalem with the establishment of a “Silicon Valley” in the area.

Arab entrepreneurs in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector are receiving mentorship from prestigious Israeli tech organisations.

Work permits are provided daily for Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza whose only chance at earning a living is to be found in Israel.

The incompetence of Palestinian governments in Gaza and the West Bank has created this economic crisis.

And it uses the financial donations it receives, due to the goodwill of the international community, to line its pockets and pay terrorists to attack and kill Jews.

While Pandor continues to cherish delusions of the Jewish state being made a pariah, most African states support Mahamat’s decision regarding Israel.

African states continue to establish institutional mechanisms to fight the ills that have hindered the continent’s progress since the end of colonial rule.

Moreover, they see in Israel a shared story of victory over oppression and marginalisation at the hands of the world’s great powers.

ALSO READ: Naledi Pandor views chief justice’s comments on Israel with ‘great dismay’

As Israel grows its partnerships with its neighbours through the Abraham Accords, it becomes clear to enlightened African leaders that Israel is a desirable partner to help Africa achieve its Agenda 2063 developmental goals.

These include the creation of an integrated and productive continental economy; maintaining peace and security; and unlocking the potential of people, through better food security, education and medical care.

A country’s foreign policy must reflect the aspirations of its citizens.

It’s time South Africa’s foreign policy nurtured productive relations with states, by being an advocate for global peace, and doing what is right by its people.

• Pamela Ngubane is the general manager of South African Friends of Israel. The views expressed in this piece are not necessarily those of The Citizen.