South African opposition leader stirs angers after visit to Israel

The leader of the official opposition party in South Africa, Mmusi Maimane, visited Israel in December 2016 and his visit invited a huge backlash and criticism from the community. The relationship between the Palestinians and South Africans goes back a long way, and understanding that is important in trying to locate the recent reactions towards the visit.

The relationship between the peoples has its origins in North Africa where members of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) and some members of the African National Congress (ANC) were based. It was through the support of countries like Egypt under Gamal Abdel Nasser that further encouraged the relationship. The former South African apartheid regime’s close ties with Israel, common enemies of both entities, also strengthened the relationship.

Nelson Mandela shocked many in the United States (US) on his first visit after he was released from prison when he publicly praised Yasser Arafat, the former leader of the PLO, as a friend and a “comrade in arms”. He went on during the same speech to reassure the Jewish community in the US that the ANC was not against the Jewish people but the oppression of the people of Palestine. When the ANC came to power, it continued to maintain a close relationship with the PLO.  South Africa was amongst the first country to open an embassy of the State of Palestine in its capital city of Pretoria in 1995.

The relationship and political solidarity for Palestine in South Africa is further enhanced by the strong Muslim presence in the country. There is both a religious and political imperative within the Muslim community of South Africa, given the history of both countries. The continued threats against certain Muslim religious symbols in Palestine by Israel resonate very strongly within the Muslim community in South Africa. There have been also certain important events in South Africa which further intensified the solidarity and the support of the Palestinian struggle. The United Nations’ World Conference Against Racism (WCAR) in 2001 was one of those events.

The conference brought about added momentum to Palestinian solidarity in South Africa.  In the days leading up to the conference, a number of organisations joined forces and formed a global civil society movement which pushed for and eventually adopted draft resolution declaring Israel an apartheid state. It was a great achievement for the struggle of the Palestinian people.

What started as a draft resolution culminated into what became the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign in 2005. This backdrop to the history and build-up of the solidarity movement in South Africa is important in understanding the recent criticism levelled against the leader of the opposition. It also helps to understand the confidence behind the ruling ANC’s accusation that the opposition and its leadership went against the national political consensus. Similarly, various civil society organisations, including the trade unions, have lashed out at the opposition.

There seems to be a level of naiveté from the opposition, especially on matters of international relations. The mayor of Tshwane, Solly Msimanga, visited Taiwan almost at the same time as the leader of the party visited Israel. These two events coincided with Trump’s pontification on the relocation of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and the debate on the US’ China policy. The naiveté of international politics may prove very costly for Mmusi Maimane in the long run and these recent blunders suggest a level of ignorance and underestimation of the strength of solidarity for Palestine in South Africa, including within his own party.

The demographics of the opposition’s constituency have change dramatically over the years.  There has been a huge growth of blacks and Muslims within the party, and most of the blacks were politicised in as a result of what is known as “Congress politics”.  Congress politics have been historically, and by nature, left leaning. They have been critical of the role and complicity of countries like Israel during apartheid. Maimane himself and his predecessor, Helen Zille, often quote Mandela and other stalwarts of the ANC, as they draw tremendous political inspiration from him.

Muslims within the party, on the other hand, identify strongly with Palestine because of the Al-Aqsa Mosque whose existence is threatened by the Israeli occupation.  Remaining true to the old values of the organisation notwithstanding, the change in the constituency of the opposition might cripple it. Such political miscalculations are most likely to create divisions within the rank and file in the future. Therefore, as the party begins to articulate and act on it foreign policy positions, it has to be sensitive. Maimane’s visit to Israel is most likely to anger his constituents, which may eventually end up isolating him politically.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.