OWN CORRESPONDENT
No one has any idea of who put up the misleading billboard, according to Ben Swartz, vice-chairman of the SA Zionist Federation, which put up other billboards in the Sandton area, quoting the late former president as saying: “We recognise the legitimacy of Zionism as a Jewish nationalism” and “We insist on the right of the State of Israel to exist within secure borders”.
Swartz, comments on both billboards in a statement.
“In an effort by the anti-Israel lobby to rewrite history to suit their ‘narrative’ – a campaign has been driven for the last six months showing the late Nelson Mandela held a very one-sided view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – by only having strong views supporting the Palestinian cause. Nothing could be further from the truth.
“Nelson Mandela regarded both Palestinian nationalism and Jewish nationalism (ie Zionism) as being legitimate movements, and believed in a solution that would allow them to co-exist peacefully alongside one another in their own separate states.
“At a speech he made in August 1993, he clearly stated:`’…we recognise the legitimacy of Zionism as a Jewish nationalism’.
“Mandela continued by explicitly recognising the importance of addressing Israel’s security requirements as an inseparable part of any peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians by stating: ‘We insist on the right of the State of Israel to exist within secure borders’.
“To the end of his life, in his speeches and writings, Mandela consistently paid tribute to the disproportionate contributions made by South African Jews in the struggle for freedom and democracy in South Africa where he stated: ‘South Africans of Jewish descent have historically been disproportionately represented among our white compatriots in the liberation struggle.’
“In 1999, Mandela visited Israel, accompanied by a delegation from the SA Jewish Board of Deputies. During his visit, he met with President Ezer Weizman and senior Cabinet ministers and visited the grave of former President Yitzhak Rabin, whose peace-making efforts he greatly admired.
“By pursuing this campaign, The South African Zionist Federation is not claiming that Nelson Mandela only supported Israel as the national Jewish homeland and its right to exist in safety and security, but that he had deep understanding of a very complex conflict that all sides need to resolve in a peaceful, balanced and sustainable manner.”
