SA’s Hamas support ‘immoral and dangerous’

As Israel braces itself for retaliation after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on 31 July, South Africa once again blames Israel and commiserates with Hamas.

On 1 August, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) released a strongly worded statement regarding Haniyeh’s death. It’s the first significant announcement that Dirco has made since the beginning of the government of national unity (GNU), demonstrating what appears to be a continuation of the Hamas support expressed by Dr Naledi Pandor, the former minister of international relations and cooperation.

“It is regrettable once again that SA chose to deviate from its stance on international relations by taking sides and refusing to engage with Israel,” says Wendy Kahn, South African Jewish Board  of Deputies (SAJBD) national director.  “Had it done so, then perhaps it would have had relevance or a role to play in de-escalating this frightening conflict. By siding with Iran and Hamas and refusing to engage with Israel it has become irrelevant on this critical platform.”

South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) spokesperson Rolene Marks says, “As the threat of an Iranian attack on Israel intensifies by the hour and global markets weaken, the South African government’s continued support for rogue states and recognised terrorist groups again places it on the wrong side of history.

“Iran has signalled its intent to strike Israel, directly and through proxy groups,” she says. “While South Africa has remained silent on the brewing tension, its recent actions have increasingly aligned it against the West and with the Iranian government and its violent proxies. At this critical juncture in global politics, South Africa has unfortunately once again positioned itself on the wrong side of the moral divide. Our government aligns with oppressive regimes and consistently seeks to legitimise terrorist organisations. This radical foreign policy stance doesn’t reflect the values of South Africans.”

She notes that “the South African government’s allegiance with terrorist entities and rogue nations also jeopardises crucial economic ties with key trading partners in the United States and Europe. As the US provides military support to Israel in preparation for potential conflict, South Africa’s backing of Iran and terrorist groups is morally indefensible and economically reckless.

“The South African government’s actions have contributed to a political climate that emboldens genocidal regimes against the world’s only Jewish state,” says Marks. “Should the conflict escalate, South Africa’s role in delegitimising Israel’s right to self-defence through unfounded genocide accusations at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will bear partial responsibility.”

Marks says the SAZF “urges the government to adopt a more balanced foreign policy that recognises Israel’s right to self-defence. Israel doesn’t seek broader conflict, and the SAZF hopes for a peaceful resolution.”

Toby Dershowitz, the managing director of FDD Action, a non-partisan organisation that lobbies the US Congress on national security issues, says, “The Haniyeh statement telegraphs that South Africa hasn’t made a strategic decision to abandon its embrace of Hamas and its patron, the Islamic Republic of Iran.

“This will remain a source of tension in its relationship with the US,” says Dershowitz. “The new international relations and cooperations minister, Ronald Lamola, hasn’t proven that he wants to have a constructive impact on peace and stability.”

Her comments come after Lamola visited Iran, where he said, “South Africa took the step to put an end to Israel’s impunity [with its ICJ case]. Many countries including Iran have expressed their support for this aim.”

Says Dershowitz: “To be respected by the democratic world, he [Lamola] would need to pivot from supporting Hamas to pressing Hamas to release the more than 110 hostages and ending its oppressive rule over Gaza.”

Dirco’s statement sends a message to the Financial Action Task Force, which has placed South Africa on its grey list, “that Pretoria isn’t yet serious about tackling terrorism finance, corruption, and other illicit activities”.

According to Dershowitz, “Pretoria may have its own reasons to cosy up to Iran’s terrorism proxy as a distraction for its domestic woes, but the facts speak for themselves: Haniyeh played a pivotal role in collaborating with Iran leading up to 7 October.

“Haniyeh may have worn expensive suits and sought to hide his atrocities behind his veil as a negotiator. However, he cannot be absolved of orchestrating war crimes and crimes against humanity. Moreover, his role makes him a legitimate military target. Haniyeh’s abhorrent tactics should draw the ire of the world, not South Africa’s approval,” Dershowitz says.

Karen Milner, the SAJBD national chairperson, strongly condemned Dirco’s statement, describing Haniyeh as an “arch-terrorist”.

“Dirco’s pro-Hamas bias has been evident since former minister Naledi Pandor’s call to Haniyeh in the immediate aftermath of the 7 October atrocities,” says Milner. “The depiction of Haniyeh in Dirco’s statement ignores the atrocities he was responsible for, both against the people of Gaza and Israeli civilians. Haniyeh amassed extreme wealth while his people suffered in poverty. Given Haniyeh’s history, the hypocrisy of the South Africa government’s statement is ludicrous.

“What the statement fails to recognise is that Haniyeh was one of the master minds of the 7 October attacks that started this current conflict and the root cause of Gazans’ suffering,” says Milner. “Furthermore, by refusing to release the hostages, Haniyeh extended the plight of Gazans.

“The statement should be juxtaposed by the same government’s failure to acknowledge the callous murder of 12 Israeli children, bombed by Iranian proxy Hezbollah while [they played] soccer on 27 July,” she says. “It appears that there’s no compassion for Druze children if they don’t feed into the department’s demonisation of the only Jewish state.”

In Dirco’s statement spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said, “The government of South Africa condemns the targeted assassination of Dr Ismail Haniyeh. The government expresses its heartfelt condolences to the Haniyeh family, as well as to the leadership and people of Palestine.”

According to the statement, South Africa is concerned that the assassination will “further spiral the already tense situation”, and it has urged “a thorough investigation”, calling on all parties to “exercise the utmost restraint”. Dirco did not call on Hamas or Hezbollah to exercise restraint, however.

The statement went on to say that Lamola stressed that “extrajudicial killings violate international law. It’s crucial that the perpetrators of such actions must be brought to justice.” The statement portrayed Haniyeh as a statesman without blood on his hands.

The Economic Freedom Fighters and the South African Communist Party also condemned the assassination, with the SACP saying that Israel had “turned Palestine” – which it said was in west Asia – “into its Auschwitz death chamber”. South African Jews for a Free Palestine compared Haniyeh’s assassination to that of Chris Hani.

Dershowitz says the US House of Representatives has passed the US-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act, “which requires the president to certify whether South Africa has undermined US national security or foreign policy interests. Congress is on record expressing concern about Pretoria’s military cooperation with Russia, Iran, and China and has taken note of its ties to Hamas.

“While it’s troubling that some of South Africa’s leaders have aligned themselves with Hamas and Iran, the vast majority of South Africans likely don’t believe it serves their interests for their government to spend resources advancing the cause of an organisation that openly calls for the genocide of Jews,” Dershowitz says. “The good people of the rainbow nation deserve better.”