EFF leader Julius Malema. Picture: Neil McCartney/The Citizen
Social media users felt the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) seemingly tried to put a foot in both camps, wishing the Jewish community a happy Rosh Hashanah on the same day it said Iran’s attack on Israel was justified.
The political party shared a picture on social media on Wednesday sending its wishes for the Jewish community in South Africa and around the world to have a happy Rosh Hashanah.
Also called Yom Teruah, it marks the New Year in Judaism and is the first of the faith’s High Holy Days.
“As the shofar is blown, may it call us all to deeper reflection and inspire justice and peace in our communities,” the EFF post read.
Users on X (previously Twitter) pointed out that this seemed to be in contrast with the stance taken by the EFF before.
One user shared a post previously used by the party outlining its position on the side of the Palestinian people in opposition of military actions by Israel – a predominantly Jewish nation.
“You clowns really are confused hey!?” commented one user, while another suggested the EFF’s social media page was hacked.
What made the post even more interesting is that it came two hours after the EFF posted a similarly laid-out picture on X describing its condemnation of “Israel’s ongoing expansion of violence and illegal occupation in the Middle East”.
It referred to the almost 200 missiles Iran fired at Israel the day before, which left two people injured.
It also comes as Israel announced it had launched a ground offensive into Lebanon, though militant group Hezbollah said no Israeli troops had crossed the Israel-Lebanon border yet.
The EFF’s statement said Iran’s missile response to Israel’s aggression against Lebanon, Syria, and the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is a “just and necessary defence”.
“For over 70 years, Israel has illegally occupied Palestine, committing acts of ethnic cleansing and apartheid against the Palestinian people, fully backed by Western imperialist powers like the US.
“Since Hamas’s defence of Palestinian occupation on October 7th 2023, Israel has escalated its violence into full-scale genocide, mostly targeting women and children; while expanding their imperialist violence towards other countries in the Middle East.”
The EFF said it was thanks to South Africa that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is considering whether Israel may be committing genocide.
“The EFF stands in support of Palestine, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, and all nations resisting Israeli aggression.
“The world must no longer turn a blind eye. Every nation has a duty to stand with Palestine in their struggle for freedom.”
This post was welcomed by many users on X, with several applauding the firm stance taken by the party.
Some users, however, suggested the EFF stick to local politics and stop commenting on international conflicts.
In November last year, the National Assembly approved a motion tabled by the EFF to sever diplomatic ties with Israel and close the country’s embassy in South Africa.
The motion was voted by 248 votes for motion and 91 against it.
It was supported by the African National Congress (ANC), the National Freedom Party (NFP), Al-Jamah, the African Transformation Movement (ATM), the Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC).
The EFF’s YouTube channel was also banned for a week in May this year after it said its pro-Palestinian content had been reported.
The account was frozen for several days before its restoration, with footage from its protest outside the Israeli embassy removed.
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