DIRCO spokesperson open about anti-Israel bias

Jewish communal leaders have called on the government to replace its new spokesperson for the department of international relations and cooperation (DIRCO), Chrispin Phiri, after he tweeted “Free Palestine” at around 10:00 on 7 October 2023, making it clear that he supported one of the most gruesome massacres in history.

On 8 October 2023, he reinforced this with the tweet, “Palestine shall be free.” Now, community organisations and an antisemitism watchdog are questioning whether he should continue to hold his position.

When the SA Jewish Report asked Phiri why he stated “Free Palestine” on 7 October 2023, he responded, “I have always believed and continue to believe that at the heart of the conflict, even before 7 October, is the denial of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, sovereignty, and independence. That Israeli forces have brutally suppressed the Palestinian people is a matter which predates 7 October.”

Asked if he or DIRCO would ever condemn terrorism directed at Israelis, he said, “The South African government has condemned the cowardly attack by Hamas that killed and injured innocent people. Similarly, the South African government condemned the heinous opportunism of the Israeli government to use Hamas’s cowardice to continue its genocide against the people of Palestine. We continue to call for the release of Palestinian detainees and Israeli hostages. I align myself with those condemnations.”

GnasherJew, a group of experienced digital online investigators who expose antisemites around the globe, noted Phiri’s tweets in a post on 23 September 2024. Speaking to the SA Jewish Report, the organisation said, “We initially focused on Phiri due to his involvement with the South African delegation to the International Court of Justice [ICJ]. During our investigation, we uncovered additional concerning information and ahistorical posts. It’s deeply troubling that a senior member of the South African civil service would endorse rhetoric advocating for the destruction of the Jewish state, especially given his role in the South African ICJ case. Phiri’s statements and actions are incompatible with the responsibilities of his position. We believe immediate steps should be taken to remove him from this role.”

A review of Phiri’s activity on X reveals that he promotes the slogan, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” which is widely understood as a call to eradicate Israel and all those who live in it.

Asked what he envisions as a solution to the conflict, Phiri said, “A two-state solution based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.” However, on 15 May 2015, Phiri tweeted, “So on this day, land was brutally expropriated in Palestine and hasn’t stopped since. Then the West says we respect Israel’s right to protect its borders. What borders, exactly, [as] this nation didn’t exist before 14 May 1948?”

In 2019, Phiri referred to “The Zionist [sic] delusional mentality”, linked to a blog post that denies a Jewish connection to the land of Israel, calls Jews “European invaders” and “colonisers”, and dismisses the Torah as “Talmudic fairytales”. He also published a post saying that Hitler hated Jews because “Hitler’s first love was a Jewish woman.”

Regarding Israel’s existence as a Jewish state, Phiri said, “A two-state solution envisions the existence of Israel, and that has not been problematised. The question is, does Israel envision the existence of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital?”

Yet in June 2024, Phiri called on people to purchase the colouring book, From the River to the Sea, which erases Israel from the map. In February 2024, he asked, “Who and where are these faceless Hamas combatants that Israel is ‘winning’ against?” along with a cartoon of an Israeli soldier killing a baby and a journalist.

To the Jewish community, Phiri said, “Criticising the actions of this Israeli government isn’t criticism of Jewish people. Innocent women and children are being killed and maimed in the name of Judaism. We engage with many Jewish organisations. Most recently, this included our director general’s participation on a Jewish Currents [an extreme left magazine] panel with Daniel Levy, who was a negotiator for Israel in the Oslo process. Jewish Currents indicated that what drives high levels of real antisemitism is the approach that portrays Israel as a ‘Jewish state’, thereby linking the actions of the state to all people of the Jewish faith.”

Phiri’s written statements for DIRCO condemned the assassinations of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, called Israel’s war against Hamas a “genocide”, condemned Israel’s self-defence in the face of daily Hezbollah rockets, and blamed Israel for the continued attacks against it.

“Israel’s bombing of Lebanon is a serious violation of the territory of a sovereign state, and a grave violation of international law. The international community cannot afford to remain indifferent,” stated Phiri on 14 October, ignoring the reality that the daily unprovoked Hezbollah attacks on Israel are a serious violation of the territory of a sovereign state and a grave violation of international law, and that he and the South African government have remained indifferent to them.

When, on 25 October 2024, Israel responded to Iran’s missile attack of 1 October, Phiri wrote a DIRCO statement that said it “strongly condemns Israel’s attack on Iran, which seeks to foment war in the Middle East. This attack is an unacceptable violation of Iran’s sovereignty.”

South African Zionist Federation spokesperson Rolene Marks said, “Phiri’s statements and social media are deeply concerning given his role as DIRCO spokesperson. His endorsement of slogans and ideas calling for the eradication of Israel alongside posts denying the Jewish connection to the land are not only inappropriate but signal a dangerous level of bias.

“South Africa’s foreign policy should promote diplomacy and balance, especially when engaging with complex international conflicts,” said Marks. “Phiri’s stance is out of step with South Africa’s key trading partners, who expect a more neutral and informed approach. It also disregards Israel’s right to self-defence, especially as Israel continues to face unrelenting attacks from Hezbollah and Hamas.

“In light of the government of national unity, South Africa should adopt a more nuanced foreign policy approach that clearly delineates between supporting legitimate humanitarian efforts and endorsing extremism,” she said. “By failing to do so, DIRCO risks alienating South Africa from the global community and key trading partners.”

South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) national director, Wendy Kahn, said, “The SAJBD is greatly concerned by revelations that Chrispin Phiri has a lengthy history of propagating explicit antisemitism on his social media. Going back to at least 2012, Phiri has been falsifying the historical record so as to deny Jewish people their heritage and identity, and mocking Jewish religious beliefs.

“The propagation of such overt bigotry is indefensible, regardless of who is responsible, but it’s especially unconscionable when coming from the designated spokesperson for the South African government,” said Kahn. “By using social media to peddle unbridled prejudice, Phiri is guilty of flouting the humanitarian values that South Africans are committed to upholding. A person who is capable of such hate shouldn’t hold such a position.”