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Africa affairs analyst Koffi Kouakou said it was clear Pretoria’s 'moral' stance against Israel is to blame for tensions with the US.
An Israeli politician has denied that the country is behind the tensions between South Africa and America. Picture: iStock
A former Israeli member of parliament denies that the country is putting pressure on the United States (US) to punish South Africa and to drop its case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
In an interview with The Citizen this week, Ruth Wasserman Lande of the Blue and White party said Israel had bigger problems to worry about.
ALSO READ: South Africa condemns Israel for blocking aid in the Gaza Strip
Israel has more significant problems to worry about
“I do not think that Israel has done so [called for sanctions against SA]. Israel has so many things to ask of America. We have a list of things to ask from America, a threat with Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza,” Lande said.
A senior leader in Palestine’s Fatah party, Dr Sabri Saidam, told The Citizen he also believes that there may not be anything sinister in US President Donald Trump’s treatment towards South Africa, saying the US president is causing havoc across the world.
However, a report by the Daily Maverick this week claimed that politicians in the US House of Representatives with close links to Israel have been leading the calls for sanctions against some SA government officials and ANC leaders.
These leaders, the publication states, have received major donations from a funding group, Aipac, which is “transparently tying contributions to candidates’ support for Israel”.
‘South Africa is now the target’
Africa affairs analyst at the University of Johannesburg, Koffi Kouakou said it was clear Pretoria’s “moral” stance against Israel is to blame for tensions with the US.
“Trump’s backers and those who are funding him are [allegedly] Israelis, Zionists, and Jews who are mainly angry that South Africa has used whatever power it has left to express outrage at the [alleged] genocide which is taking place in Gaza.
“There is also an arrest warrant for the president of Israel and his former minister of defence Yoav Gallant. There is a huge outrage, and they [Israel] want South Africa to be punished,” he alleged in an interview with The Citizen.
SA foreign policy in the spotlight
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation maintains that Pretoria will not drop the case against Israel at the ICJ despite mounting pressure from the US. Attempts to contact the department for further comment were unsuccessful at the time of publishing. An update will be published once received.
Still, Lande believes that some international forces against Israel were using the ANC.
“It is very clear to me that South Africa was made to do this instead of caring for its population. South Africa was used as a pawn. South Africa has been used, and elements of the government fell into the trap,” she said.
Attempts to get comment from the ANC on the claims were unsuccessful at the time of publication. Once received, an update will be published.
The party has long expressed its support for the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), an organisation that includes Fatah.
Saidam distanced Fatah from the attacks against Israel on 7 October 2023. He said that should South Africa change its foreign policy, including due to the pressure of sanctions, it would be a blow to the cause of Palestinian self-determination.
“If we lose South Africa, we have lost the world. The biggest statue in this town [Ramallah] is that of Nelson Mandela. We are weary that world politics change, and we will endeavour not to lose South Africa.
“We endeavour to be partners of the ANC and other parties in South Africa,” said Saidam.
The ANC’s biggest partner in the GNU coalition, the DA, has been pressuring Luthuli House to change its foreign policy on matters such as the war in the Middle East.
“The ANC, a 39% party, no longer enjoys an outright majority and is no longer at liberty to single-handedly determine South Africa’s foreign policy agenda without consulting its partners in government,” DA Shadow Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Emma Powell told The Citizen recently.
While the ANC has advocated for Palestinian self-determination, both it and the DA have called for a two-state solution between Palestine and Israel.
Given the current mistrust between the two nations, it is unclear if this will be workable.
Lande was non-committal to a two-state solution, while Saidam said it may be possible but would require compromise.
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