National Jewish Dialogue
South Africa needs sea change in attitude to Israel
I remember those heady days following South Africa’s first truly democratic general elections in 1994. The atmosphere in the country was electric as it looked to the future following the dark years of apartheid. Then-President Nelson Mandela, a global icon of reconciliation and human rights, sprinkled his special brand of “Madiba magic” everywhere he went, and international investment poured in following decades of sanctions. For sports-centric South Africans, hosting and winning the Rugby World Cup was more than just a cherry on top, it was the whole calorific sundae.
The “Rainbow Nation” had arrived on the world stage. South Africa’s peaceful transition into full democracy was lauded the world over, and the country was perfectly poised to act as mediator in many a global conflict. For the Jewish community, images of Mandela warmly embracing then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Shimon Peres on a visit to Israel reinforced a sense of hope for strong bilateral relations between the two countries.
I can almost pinpoint the moment it all started to turn sour. When Israel launched Operation Cast Lead in 2008 following persistent terrorist activities and a constant missile threat from the Gaza Strip, the South African government started to take a much more critical attitude towards Israel.
Bilateral relations started to barrel downhill from there.
Since 7 October 2023, relations between Jerusalem and Pretoria have reached their nadir. We are all familiar with the statement issued by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) blaming Israel for the atrocities in a spectacular show of victim blaming before the bodies had been collected. Then, International Relations Minister Dr Naledi Pandor hotfooted it to Iran as quick as her air miles would allow to embrace the late leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, as well as dearly departed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the mastermind of it all, the Ayatollah Ali Khameini.
South Africa has adopted a contemptuous foreign policy towards Israel, including its case accusing the Jewish state of genocide at the International Court of Justice. South Africa sees itself as the moral compass of the world. Before the bigwigs in DIRCO pat themselves on the back and pour the expensive single malt, perhaps they need to take a long look at the effects of cozying up to tyrannical regimes.
The consequences of joining the “rogue squad” with buddies Iran, Russia, China et al, may not affect the well-padded coffers of government leaders, but it will affect ordinary South Africans who could lose jobs and much-needed resources as a result of the pulling of investment and agreements by the United States and any other country which chooses to follow suit. South Africa’s once venerated reputation as a potential conflict mediator isn’t just in tatters, it’s laughable, as pundits around the world debate just how much money flowed from Tehran to Pretoria.
South Africa’s obsessive – and no doubt heavily funded – anti-Israel, anti-Western fixation does not bode well on a global stage where world leaders are relieved that Israel did the dirty work on the Iranian nuclear programme, no matter what they say publicly about Gaza.
From Israel, expat “Saffers” look on with grave concern at the beloved country, which can barely keep the lights on and water flowing. I won’t even comment about potholes. We wonder if its foreign policy posture is the great distraction from it all, from its abject failure, or is it a terrifying case of radical Jew-hating state capture? This should be a worry for all peace loving South Africans, regardless of faith. Israel plays a central role not just in Jewish life, but for Christians as well. Having no functioning South African embassy in Tel Aviv as a result of radically hostile foreign policy is concerning to the many South African Christians who visit annually. For many expat “Saffers”, it is a blatant severing of ties to their heritage.
South Africa has lost that sparkling position on the world stage. Fulfilling the ideological needs of the extremists and cause du jour activists doesn’t a moral compass make. I recall the biblical passage that says, “I will bless those that bless you, and curse those that curse you, and in you all the nations of the world will be blessed.” You know the one. South Africa needs a sea change in foreign policy for the sake of her citizens. The alternative is biblical.
- Rolene Marks is the national spokesperson of the South African Zionist Federation, the head of public diplomacy for World Women’s International Zionist Organisation, both voluntary positions, and is a freelance journalist and broadcaster.
yitzchak
September 5, 2025 at 3:29 pm
Reading and listening to Ramphele ,Dangor, and Pandor , we know that they are cut off the same block.
It reminds me of the Vet show that 702 used to have called Dr Platzhund. (“My doggie is sick”)
1) Ramphele would first try to educate us about the Holocaust. The word “holocaust” comes from ancient Greek religious practice and means an offering to the gods totally burnt. We have the word “Olah” literally a burnt offering and when reading say a french siddur ,it is translated “holocaust” viz. a burnt offering.This came into usage after the 2nd WW when the horrors of the concentration camps came to light. The Israelis who were burnt alive on 7.10.2023 were a real holocaust. But the SABC is in massive contravention of the BCCSA code by
not introducing balance in their programming. The firing of the interviewer cannot go unnoticed.
2) Ms Nadia (her nom de guerre) ,let’s call her Umm Nadia, praises the use of Jihad when necessary. We Have seen the true face of Jihad on 7.10.2023. She is Hamas reincarnate. No doubt the peaceful religion of Islam
(“submission”,) is at the forefront of the struggle in Nigeria,Somalia,Sudan Mocambique and of course Israel in the Hamas-Israel war.On the other hand, the ANC belives in negotiation!!! Our girls could not cry out “In the name of the Compassionate and Merciful Allah” as they were being violently raped and murdered.
3) Abu Zayin Dangor is in the same Cabal of anti Zionism,anti Israelism etc.Does he know why we break a glass at every wedding ceremony? As is Alvin Botes his side kick.similarly schizophrenic.
and their anti semitism.(so intrinsic to Muslim thinking since our religious threat to them has a cosmic lustre)
For him to even try and interpret Zionism and its meaning to us, is a a fantasy too far. Next time he approaches human rights issues let him and Ms Pandor start with Muslim societies. He could start closer to home in Gatesville or Laudium.That whites(read Jews) could even contemplate a war of liberation, goes against the kernel beliefs of freedom fights, decolonization,liberation since people of colour were always the victims of racism.Jews can never be the victims of racism or colonization in his estimation. Kevin Bloom has no cure for his obsequiousness fawning and cloying.I wish him a full recovery
My question to Dr Platzhund would be ” How do you cure political animals who are windbags”?
Zaks
September 6, 2025 at 11:08 am
South Africa requires consistent support for justice regarding Israel, not a drastic shift in attitude.
The piece conflates silence with peace. As South Africans, we understand clearly that “peace” in the face of oppression is not true peace — it is injustice masquerading as stability. Similar to how the world previously asked us to endure apartheid, it now instructs Palestinians to tolerate checkpoints, air strikes, and dispossession as a cost for peace.
The position of our government is neither “rogue” nor “radical.” Bringing Israel before the ICJ is not Hamas propaganda — it is a matter of international law. South Africa’s ethical stature was established not by submitting to the influential, but by confronting injustice even in times of unpopularity. That is what Mandela intended when he stated our liberation is not whole without the Palestinians’ freedom.
The fear that employment and investment will disappear if we support the oppressed mirrors the scare tactics employed during apartheid. Genuine peace and prosperity cannot arise from complicity; they are founded on justice.
Ultimately, the wrongful application of biblical verses to intimidate or confuse Christians into endorsing oppression is profoundly deceitful. Scripture does not permit injustice — it continually emphasizes that God supports the oppressed, not the oppressor. Your game is up.
South Africa’s international policy is not opposed to Israel. It is supportive of justice. Without justice, peace cannot exist.
yitzchak
September 8, 2025 at 8:08 am
Yes padre, perhaps you can start with the dispossession of Jews from Arab countries ,>1000000 refugees after 1948.with expulsion.
If Palestinian freedom Justice and liberation are at our expense nothing will come out of this. As far as you are concerned the Nation state of Israel is inherently oppressive.and must first disappear before justice can be restored.
The jaundiced view of the US in particular relates to our pivoting away from the West.the anti Israel stance only one piece in the puzzle. Tariffs and the dropping of AGOA are general US policy currently.
But in your stampede to print you had no word of compassion for those butchered on 7.10.2023 by Hamas to whom you have turned a blind eye.