Harassment won’t silence Israeli-Palestinian dialogue

Local academic and activist Ivor Chipkin is appalled but undeterred by the “vicious” smear campaign launched in response to a conference he is convening that explores nuances in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The conference was to take place from 18 to 20 September at Constitution Hill, but following the anti-Israel lobby’s hostility to this opportunity for dialogue and engagement, the management of Constitution Hill told Chipkin his event could no longer take place there.

“This capitulation to the demands of a small group of extreme activists sets a dangerous precedent that undermines the principles of free speech and open dialogue,” Chipkin says of Constitution Hill’s last minute venue cancellation.

By refusing to host the conference, Constitution Hill betrays its own principles, says Chipkin, the co-founder and director of the New South Institute (NSI), a non-governmental organisation that provides evidence-based policy and applied research for complex problems in delicate democracies.

“Constitution Hill is especially symbolic of what can be achieved when deeply divided parties come together to forge constructive ways out of conflict,” Chipkin says. But, by succumbing to this pressure, “its management has not only betrayed its commitment to free expression, but has also emboldened those who seek to suppress ideas that they find offensive or challenging”. He has since taken legal action, with a lawyer’s letter sent to Constitution Hill’s management.

As for those who bullied Constitution Hill into the decision, he says, “This is a movement that is absolutely opposed to nuance, dialogue, engagement, and complexity, and actively works to close down spaces that allow for such discussion. We stand firm behind our intention of hosting a conference that seeks common ground. We trust that our partners won’t bow down to those who would suppress free speech in an attempt to stifle open and honest discussion.”

He said the conference, which is NSI’s signature annual event called African Global Dialogues, has a distinguished roster of thought leaders who represent diverse perspectives on the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“This event was never about reinforcing one narrative, but rather about transcending binary thinking to find common ground and foster meaningful progress,” says Chipkin.

However, the anti-Israel lobby made it clear that this was exactly what it didn’t want, responding with a “frenzy of intolerance”, Chipkin says. Extremists openly called for the event’s lineup of liberal leftists and respected academics to be silenced simply because they were speaking about Israel. In a statement, the South African Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions coalition said, “Under the guise of promoting so-called ‘dialogue’ in South Africa, this conference is aimed at demonising the right of Palestinians to resist 75 years of settler colonialism, occupation, ethnic cleansing, and genocide.”

Participants in the conference include Professor of International Law, Marco Sassòli; activist Hadil Al-Ashwal; the former head of the International Criminal Court, Chile Eboe-Osuji; Professor of Humanitarian Law, Yuval Shany; sociologist and professor emeritus at the University of Belgrade, Radmila Nakarada; professor of history in the Middle East Studies department at Ben-Gurion University, Benny Morris; professor of international relations at the University of Cambridge, Ayşe Zarakol; historian and writer Fania Oz-Salzberger; and philosopher Achille Mbembe.

Chipkin says anti-Israel extremists “used stolen draft documents and false information to pressure participants, invitees, and other stakeholders [to torpedo the conference]. This is an example of the extreme and destructive nature of much of political discourse today, the precise problem that the African Global Dialogue seeks to address.”

Local extremists even made a parody account on X, called African Global Dialogues, to mock the conference and its aims. The account compares Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler, and says Israel killed its own citizens on 7 October. It calls the event “that stupid Zio conference”. The term “Zio” is an established antisemitic slur.

The account calls for the boycott of one of the speakers, Mbembe, because he is “calling for dialogue-nuance at the peak of a colonial genocide, equating the rightful resistance of the oppressed with the fascism and depravity of their occupiers”.

Chipkin says he created the conference because “the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and other conflicts have a profound impact on South Africa, the African continent, and the Global South. The conference seeks to look at how longer-term cycles of violence could potentially be interrupted, and if South Africa could play a role.”

This “requires humanising political discourses rooted in fact and in empathy, preventing a regional escalation, and potentially even a wider war, not to mention creating the conditions for a sustainable [peace] settlement”.

Having a conference in South Africa “isn’t just topical and likely to generate global attention. It’s also an opportunity to host a new and potentially unprecedented kind of conversation; one hosted in the Global South by an organisation from the Global South,” he says. “This event seeks to reinsert South Africa and the Global South more broadly in constructive discussions about the Middle East, playing a constructive role in pushing against extremist voices and supporting approaches grounded in the fundamental humanity of both Palestinians and Israelis.

“By bringing together thought leaders in various fields and, importantly, from across the political spectrum, we hope to reach a common understanding of how these issues may be addressed. We seek to create a platform where historical grievances are acknowledged, and constructive paths forward are explored.”

In light of these aims, “it’s truly scandalous that a well-intentioned event could be perceived as controversial”, Chipkin says. “Those who have attempted to misrepresent this gathering should be ashamed of their actions.” Meanwhile, the conference will go ahead, with a new venue to be announced.

South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) spokesperson Rolene Marks said “peaceful and respectful dialogue between Israelis, Palestinians, and their supporters is more critical than ever, with war ongoing in Gaza.

“It’s regrettable and ironic that a venue symbolising the Constitution, which was born out of reconciliation and the meeting of multiple opposing political parties, has withdrawn from hosting conversations between people with opposing viewpoints,” she says. “The SAZF wouldn’t necessarily have agreed with many of the speakers, but we will support and defend freedom of speech and democracy, which entails allowing people with different viewpoints to express them peacefully.

“The event featured both Palestinian and Israeli speakers, and stated that it aimed to bring nuance and balance into a complex emotionally fraught space. Given South Africa’s history of promoting peace, reconciliation, and dialogue, it’s disheartening that activists choose to bully a venue into cancelling its hosting of an event. Constitution Hill shouldn’t have yielded to these extremists. By doing so, it undermines the very values the Constitution represents such as free speech and freedom of association.”

The SA Jewish Report reached out to Constitution Hill for comment, but didn’t receive a response by the time of going to print.