SA’s silence on Hezbollah speaks a thousand words

The South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) and the South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) have criticised the South African government’s deafening silence after Iranian proxy, Hezbollah, launched an unprovoked attack on Israel on 27 July that instantly killed 12 children playing soccer. The atrocity was condemned by the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the European Union.

“The SAZF condemns this attack in the strongest terms and calls on the South African government to denounce it unequivocally,” says SAZF spokesperson Rolene Marks. “We stand in solidarity with the victims and their families, and urge the international community to take decisive action against such acts of terror. This heinous act marks a serious escalation in Hezbollah’s ongoing aggression, which indiscriminately targets civilians, whether they be men, women, or children, Jew, Muslim, Christian or Druze.”

“It’s disappointing but not surprising that our government has once again failed to recognise a mass attack on Israeli civilians, just like on 7 October,” says SAJBD National Director Wendy Kahn. “The department of international relations and co-operation [Dirco], which claims to uphold the values of human rights, has repeatedly exposed its hypocrisy. Failing to acknowledge the unprovoked, brutal killing of 12 children playing soccer undermines any form of moral integrity.

“This silence stands in stark contrast to the numerous knee-jerk Dirco statements on events that were later proven incorrect and never corrected,” says Kahn. “It’s disgraceful that our government shows no empathy for the killing of innocent children when their murders don’t fit its narrative.”

Meanwhile, Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein called on Israel to attack Iran. “Hezbollah’s horrific missile attack that killed 12 children highlights the threat posed by Iran,” he said on 29 July. “This latest attack is a stark reminder that a nuclear Iran, with its violent jihadi worldview, poses an existential threat to Israel. If Israel doesn’t destroy Iran’s production of nuclear weapons, no one else will. Israel needs to act now.”

South Africa remains close to Iran, ignoring its human-rights violations. Throughout her term as minister of international relations and co-operation, Naledi Pandor emphasised that South Africa’s foreign policy was “guided by human-rights principles”. This was echoed by her successor, Ronald Lamola, on 11 July, when he said, “The government of national unity [GNU’s] statement of intent commits to a foreign policy guided by human rights, constitutional principles, and the national interest, as well as solidarity and the peaceful resolution of conflict. Ultimately, the goal is to contribute to the creation of a just, peaceful, and equitable world.”

Says political analyst Steven Gruzd, “South Africa’s silence on this attack will make it vulnerable to criticism that it’s selective in the application of its foreign policy, especially its claim that human rights are at its core. When innocent children are killed on a soccer field, South Africa keeps quiet. Is it only human rights for some?”

The explosion was so extreme, the fate of one child was unknown for 48 hours as forensic investigators searched to recover enough of his DNA at the scene to declare him dead. One of the first witnesses to arrive at the scene described children with “no hands, no legs, no heads”.

Meanwhile, Dirco has jumped to condemn almost every move of Israel’s defensive war against Hamas, and its recent statements include condolences for landslides in Ethiopia and approval of Palestinian groups coming together in unity. But when it came to children murdered in an unprovoked attack by a terrorist organisation, the department didn’t utter a word.

Political analyst Frans Cronje believes “this is an early test of the foreign policy of the GNU. The test will be whether the extreme pro-Iranian and Iranian proxy stances of the South African government have softened at all. A lot of people will be watching closely for signals, not least the American Congress, which is weighing up how to deal with GNU South Africa.”

Gruzd and local political analyst Daniel Silke surmise that South Africa struggles to respond to a situation that doesn’t fit its narrow and shallow view of the Middle East. “The slow nature of any response would indicate that they are flummoxed as to how to respond to a massacre like this,” says Silke.

“I don’t think it’s any surprise, because South Africa has been so blinkered in terms of her positioning on Israel, the Palestinians, and the entire conflict that she seems unable to understand the competing nuances in the region,” he says. “And if she can’t understand those nuances, she seems unwilling to be an honest arbiter on either side of the equation. It therefore looks like the South African government has been caught off guard by this particular attack emanating from Hezbollah.

“South Africa’s foreign policy fails to understand that both sides face what they regard as an existential crisis for their own survival, and that for Israel, that obviously involves fighting back against Iranian proxies. The terror movements of Hamas and Hezbollah are seen as legitimate fighting forces, and South Africa therefore has no sympathy for Israelis,” says Silke.

“I don’t think it’s surprising that South Africa hasn’t commented, as this attack goes off the script,” Gruzd says.” It’s not the ‘normal’ way that this Middle East conflict is supposed to be playing out. It shows that South Africa has clearly picked a side, and when its side does something abhorrent, it just keeps quiet. I’m fond of the phrase ‘one’s friends never commit human-rights atrocities, but one’s enemies always do’. It’s appropriate in this case.”

Glen Segell, visiting professor and research fellow at the University of the Free State and research fellow at the Ezri Center for Iran and Gulf States Research at the University of Haifa, says, “The African National Congress [ANC] is selective in its condemnation. Sudan is exempt, and so are Hamas and Hezbollah. This is insincere and deceitful.

“Since Palestinian independence hasn’t taken place, the ANC believes that any means justify the end,” says Segell. “So, both 7 October and this event mean Israel is to blame. Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iranian-sponsored violence and terrorism aren’t just about the Palestinian cause. The ANC has taken an active stance that is both anti-Israel and anti-West. It would best turn neutral or face the consequences.”

“As an Israeli, I want to emphasise how devastated we are as a nation at the merciless murder of our children,” Marks says. “We stand with our Druze brothers and sisters.”

The SA Jewish Report reached out to Dirco for comment, but didn’t receive a response.