ANC to milk Israel case success in polls – experts

While South Africa issuing a strong condemnation of Israel’s actions and declaring unwavering support for the Palestinian cause did not come as a surprise to South Africans, it has left many questioning what inspired it, with experts saying the ANC will milk the Gaza war for votes.

In an action brought by SA, the International Court of Justice found there was a plausible case of genocide against Israel for its conduct in Gaza.

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Independent political and economic analyst Daniel Silke said the ANC’s relations with the state of Israel have always been strained, “not just because of the ANC’s close emotional association with the Palestinian cause”.

It was, he said “also because Israel was seen during the days of apartheid as not standing up sufficiently for the liberation movement … and, in fact, cooperating with the white minority government at the time, certainly on military matters.

“I think these old resentments against the state of Israel [and many Western countries] continue to this day,” he said.

“But, clearly, the ANC, in particular – notwithstanding the moral nuances of South Africa’s position – found an issue that resonates with a large body of voters within South Africa.”

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Silke said when a country was devoid of any great domestic policy success, “when your own governance is largely wanting, and in the face of a general election, the ANC has found an external issue that resonates with voters, and they are going to milk this issue, use it for domestic political ends and campaigns”.

“By associating the ANC with a fight for liberation movements and against oppression, and what they regard as oppression globally, of course the Palestinian cause will be held as a key example of this,” Silke said.

“So this is a foreign policy issue that’s going to be used domestically. “Historically, foreign policy issues might be good in the short term. But voters tend to vote on domestic issues, economic issues, corruption issues, whether they have good prospects in the future.”

Meanwhile in their note, “South Africa’s ICJ case has already altered its foreign policy space”, the Institute for Security Studies’ Ronak Gopaldas and Priyal Singh said the global responses reflected both criticism and support for South Africa’s action, lauding its principled and clear-eyed stance.

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According to the authors, the case has catapulted Pretoria into the centre of an international legal maelstrom “and will have significant ripple effects on its international relations.

Why has South Africa chosen this course of action amid potentially grave diplomatic risks? “Legally, as a contracting party to the Genocide Convention, South Africa may approach the ICJ if it believes the convention has been violated,”

Gopaldas, and Singh said. “Apart from that, Pretoria’s support for the Palestinian cause is deeply rooted in democratic South Africa’s foreign policy.

“By way of the country’s apartheid history, the Palestinian cause is largely seen as analogous to its own struggle against oppression, occupation and violence.”