I am not an anti-Semite, stresses ANC’s Duarte

ANT KATZ

In an interview with Jewish Report, Duarte says she is often tarred as an anti-Semite, but this was untrue and was simply because of the views she holds about Israel.

She firmly believes Israel is an apartheid state and spoke about what she believed to be similarities between the Middle East situation and what was happening in South Africa, pre-democracy.  

“During the troubles of the people in South Africa, we were divided into homelands,” she explained, and she believes that South Africa can play a role in assisting the Palestinian people, who “are similarly divided”, to unify. “All Palestinians must come together – as we did – and speak with one voice,” she said this week.

Duarte says that in her Klerksdorp address, she “called on the SA Jewish Board of Deputies – given that most of its members have lived through apartheid – “to stand up with all of us against all atrocities, whether by Palestinians against Israel, or by Israel against Palestinians”.

Duarte says she is angry at being branded an anti-Semite, saying that anyone who says anything negative about Israel, “is branded as being anti-Semitic”.

She emphasised: “This is not a religious matter; it is a human rights matter.” Duarte says she “will fight for the right of every person to practise their religion, whatever that may be”. She explains that she takes a secular approach on all matters.

Palestinian Authority Ambassador Dajani, speaking at the same IAW event, had said how “unfortunate it is that Israel does not recognise Palestine”.

Duarte, in her interview, accepted that Palestinians also do not recognise the State of Israel. “I hope in our lifetime we will see Israelis and Palestinians recognising each other.”

Duarte disagreed with former President Kgalema Motlanthe who said last week that the two-state solution was dead and the Middle East should look to a one-state solution.

“Only a two-state solution can work because our friends in the PLO say to us that they are only interested in a two-state solution,” Duarte said.

She believes a two-state solution is attainable, but only when there are two, united voices at the table.

“We are saying to our friends (the Palestinians): ‘Unite and speak with one voice,’” she said. “Only then will they be able to talk to the Israelis.”