Israel mission lashes out at ‘opportunistic’ ANC attack

The African National Congress (ANC) this week demanded an investigation into a recent fact-finding trip to Israel by a multiparty delegation of South African members of Parliament (MPs) and spiritual leaders, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from participants.

Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, 13 May, ANC MP Fasiha Hassan denounced the privately funded mission, prompting backlash over what some have described as an attempt to restrict the rights of MPs to travel in their personal capacities and verify information independently.

The delegation, comprising members of the Democratic Alliance (DA), Patriotic Alliance (PA), and African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), travelled to Israel from 4 to 10 April 2025 on an independent visit hosted by the South African Friends of Israel (SAFI). It was the first such political visit to the region since the 7 October 2023 Hamas massacre, and included a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

According to SAFI, the purpose of the mission was to give South African leaders first-hand exposure to the human impact of the conflict, allow for engagement with a range of perspectives in the region, and foster a more informed understanding of the deeply complex and nuanced conflict beyond what organisers described as “one-dimensional anti-Israel rhetoric dominating public discourse in South Africa”.

The ANC, however, lashed out in Parliament this week, condemning the trip as “shocking” and “irresponsible”, and demanding that Parliament investigate. The party objected to the fact that the visit wasn’t sanctioned by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco).

In an unhinged anti-Israel tirade, which went over her allotted time and had to be cut short, Hassan lashed out at the delegation, falsely claiming that Israel used rape and famine as weapons of war.

Labelling the behaviour of the MPs as “shameful”, Hassan said, “This visit isn’t just irresponsible, it’s a betrayal of South Africa’s constitutional values and our historic solidarity with the people of Palestine.”

It was unclear what “facts” the MPs were hoping to find, Hassan said, when it was well-known that more than 60 000 Palestinians had been killed and millions displaced and injured since the start of the war on Gaza.

“This trip echoes the shameful tactics of the country’s apartheid past, where the National Party invited foreign delegations to whitewash a system of racial oppression and white minority rule,” she said. Hassan said the group appeared to want to justify crimes against humanity when the International Court of Justice (ICJ) had already determined that a plausible case of genocide had been made against Israel.

The ANC’s call for a probe has drawn criticism from participants and observers, who argue that the trip was privately organised, transparent, and entirely within the rights of MPs acting in their personal capacity.

One of the MPs who joined the delegation, speaking to the SA Jewish Report on condition of anonymity, said, “Since when does one need Dirco’s permission to travel in a private capacity? [The ANC] should rather be focusing on domestic crises in South Africa – the economy, unemployment, corruption, failing infrastructure. This outrage appears to be a political diversion ahead of elections.”

The MP said the delegation met a variety of people on the ground in Israel, including survivors of the 7 October 2023 massacre, Israeli officials, hostage families, aid workers, and members of civil society, as well as engaging with Palestinian perspectives.

“The ANC is clearly on the back foot,” the delegate said. “It will soon have to explain to South Africans why it’s allocating more than R130 million of public funds to pursue the ICJ case, with little benefit to the South African people.”

ACDP leader Reverend Kenneth Meshoe, who issued a public statement following the trip, which he supported, said, “The ACDP was one of the first political parties to condemn the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, and demanded the immediate release of hostages. We support Israel’s right to defend itself and its citizens.

“We also opposed the South African government’s court application against Israel at the ICJ, believing that Israel doesn’t have the required legal intent to commit genocide in Gaza.”

Meshoe referenced former ICJ President Judge Joan Donoghue’s clarification on the ICJ ruling, and questioned public expenditure on the case.

While sympathetic to the plight of innocent Gazans, he added that, “If the ANC had any regard for human rights violations, it would condemn the horrendous acts committed by Hamas on 7 October, and use its influence to demand the release of the remaining hostages,” he said.

“It’s lamentable that the ANC seeks to sanction a group of well-meaning national leaders who travelled to Israel in their personal capacities in order to do the responsible thing – access information to form an opinion,” said SAFI Chairperson Shaun Zagnoev.

“It’s also noteworthy that it was the ANC government that took Israel to the ICJ, and that the ICJ is many years away from passing judgment on this issue. It should therefore not be glibly relied on to suggest culpability by Israel. It’s time for the ANC to focus on foreign policy positions that further the interests of the average South African as opposed to aligning itself with global pariahs and harming South Africa’s economic interests.”

The group included DA MPs Emma Louise Powell; Glynnis Breytenbach; Bridget Masango; Darren Bergman; Nicholas Myburgh; Dr Delmaine Christians; Katherine Christie; Liam Jacobs; and Mlondi Mdluli. PA MPs Ashley Sauls and Milicent Mathopa also participated, as did ACDP MP Steve Swart and former MP Marie Sukers. Several prominent spiritual leaders also joined the delegation.

The ANC’s strong reaction to the trip is the latest example of increasing political polarisation over the Middle East conflict within South African political discourse.

Some commentators have pointed out that the ANC has hosted delegations from groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah in South Africa. Meanwhile, members of the delegation say their visit was legitimate, lawful, and valuable.

“It was about listening, learning, and witnessing,” said one participant. “It wasn’t about taking sides, it was about seeing what’s really happening on the ground and bringing those experiences back to South Africa.”