Will efforts to ban Israel from Olympics gather speed?

There’s been an embarrassing and alarming display of insubordination and mixed messages from the country’s newly minted government of national unity (GNU), and Israel is at its heart.

Peace Mabe, South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Sport, Art and Culture, called for Israel to be banned from the Olympics for its treatment of the Palestinians in a fiery statement that uses the words “genocide” or “genocidal” five times. Except, she obviously didn’t clear it with her boss, Minister Gayton McKenzie.

Mabe is from the African National Congress (ANC), which is strongly anti-Israel, while McKenzie hails from the pro-Israel Patriotic Alliance (PA). The incident also demonstrates how far the ANC will go to demonise and delegitimise Israel in the international arena.

Mabe said, “The department of sport, art, and culture condemns the participation of the genocidal state of Israel in the Paris 2024 Olympics as it seriously undermines the principles of Olympism.” Israel’s presence at the games was “grossly inhuman, and indicative of scant regard for thousands of Palestinian lives lost as a result of continued genocide by Israel against women, children, men, the elderly, and the sick,” Mabe said. “We call upon all peace-loving nations to shun the genocidal Israel [sic] state and pledge solidarity with Palestinian [sic] who will continue to face bombardment by the same Israel that will be participating in Olympics.”

After Mabe’s statement was made public, McKenzie kicked for touch. He said on X (formerly Twitter), “I shall respond fully in regard to my displeasure about the statement released by Deputy Minister of Sport, Art, and Culture Ms Peace Mabe only after the Olympics. I don’t want politics to take centre stage now, this is the time for @OfficialTeamRSA. Let’s rally behind them.”

This will serve only to prolong the issue and postpone the time of reckoning. It also suggests profound policy disagreement within this department.

On 28 July, the ANC doubled down on the message, saying on X, “Ban apartheid Israel! The ANC supports the international call of isolating Israel in all areas of global engagement. Let the athletes, fans, and sponsors of the Olympics take a stand. No normal sport in an abnormal society. #FreePalestine.”

Israeli journalist Rolene Marks, the spokesperson for the South African Zionist Federation, said, “South Africa’s attempts to get Israel banned from the Olympics is another prong of its ‘lawfare’ tactic on behalf of Iran and Hamas to further isolate Israel, to create this pariah status in the family of nations. It’s appalling that the deputy minister forced this without the sanction of Gayton McKenzie.

“With regards to the accusations of genocide, this is very, very unsportsmanlike behaviour. It does show that the government of national unity isn’t united as far as foreign policy is concerned.”

Analyst Terence Corrigan said, “The problem with the GNU was that it was a shotgun marriage that no one really wanted, a ‘least-worst option’. McKenzie leads the portfolio, and thus has precedence over his deputy. But his deputy probably feels emboldened by the outsized influence the ANC has in Cabinet.

“My sense is that Minister McKenzie will reprimand his deputy, and his deputy won’t really care.” Corrigan said. “It does, however, serve as an illustration of the fractious nature of the arrangement. The exchange furthermore illustrates that the ANC in particular is struggling to come to terms with a truly pluralistic situation.”

A few months ago, graphic billboards around Gauteng calling for Israel to be banned from Paris appeared to have little traction. The International Olympic Committee refused to disinvite the Israeli team, and publicly supported Israel’s participation. The billboards quietly disappeared.

Frans Cronje, who runs a political risk advisory firm, said, “It’s part of the broader policy of stigmatisation of Israel. South Africa is probably the most influential global actor in prosecuting that strategy. The end goal is to have Israel, as an institution, declared a crime against humanity. This would be the ultimate stigma.

“This strategy has a high chance of succeeding, and Israel could be brought down, not through force of arms, but information warfare. On the Olympics, I believe that without intervention, South Africa will succeed in having Israel banned from the 2032 games [in Brisbane]. South Africa’s reasons range from ideology, cupidity and history to the enormous global acclaim it has earned since its ICJ [International Court of Justice] case. But more than that, its efforts succeed as Israel has developed no strategy or effective measures to counter the information warfare it’s exposed to from South Africa.”

Said Corrigan, “Whether Israel participates in the Olympics or not will mean little practically for its endurance or the fate of the Palestinians. However, it’s part of the broader question of its legitimacy – whether it has, as its detractors deny, a ‘right’ to exist. Appearing in such contests – the Olympics, or Eurovision – confirms that it’s a fact, and that it’s place in the world is a rightful one. [However], Israel’s involvement in these events is always likely to stoke controversy. The war in Gaza and various legal cases being brought against Israel have upped the heat and focus.”

“On a personal note, as an Israeli, if you have an issue with us, take it to the mat, or the swimming pool or the courts, because we’re not going anywhere,” Marks said.

International efforts to ban Israel for its actions in the Gaza conflict have flopped in Paris as Israeli athletes compete for medals in full force. But political campaigns like this play the long game, and may affect Israeli participation in future. In a sign of increasing pressure on Israel, its president, Isaac Herzog, received death threats while visiting Paris. Israeli athletes have been booed. And the memories of the Israeli athletes and officials murdered by Palestinian terrorists at the Munich Olympics in 1972 remain fresh.

The SA Jewish Report contacted the department for comment, but received no response by the time of going to press.