“Honourable House Chairperson,
The ACDP asserts that South Africa has a moral obligation to support a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to distance itself from a radicalised position on Israel, a position which undermines any hope of a negotiated process and peaceful outcome.
The ACDP believes that the recalling of South Africa’s diplomats in Israel, will not be of any benefit to the Palestinian people. It simply removes South Africa’s ability and authority to play a mediator role in any future peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. By recalling our diplomats, we have lost that role. This was affirmed by conflict resolution expert, Dr Kingsley Makubela, who said, “the move was incorrect as the absence of a South African diplomatic mission in Tel Aviv will not change the situation and will not allow SA a better understanding of what’s happening there.”
Cabinet’s decision to recall our Israeli diplomats, is based on the assertion that the Israeli government failed to respect international law. The ACDP appreciates the fact that the silence is broken, in condemning the flouting of international law by Hamas, when they raped women, murdered and burnt children and whole families and kidnapped over 200 hostages, including 2 South African women. We cannot remain silent about the thousands of Africans, murdered by the Arab Janjaweed in Dafur, Sudan, who because of their dark skin, are called by the Arabs “anbai”- slave.
Israel’s history with its land goes back some 4100 years and 3400 years ago, Israel was established as a nation. Christianity was established around 30 AD and some 600-700 years later Islam was established.
The cause of the current conflict can be found in the opening paragraph of the Hamas Covenant, “Israel will exist and continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.” Article 7 of the Hamas covenant states, “The day of judgement would not come until the Moslems fight and kill the Jews.” This is not a call for peace, but a call for genocide, to kill Jews, wherever they are found. More chilling are the Hamas chants, “First the people of the Saturday (Jews), then the people of the Sunday (Christians).
The ACDP takes no pleasure in the death of the innocent, on both sides of this war, and calls on this government and the international community to use every diplomatic means possible to bring both sides to the table of peace.”
