South Africa's

relationship with Israel

Issue paper www.Christianview.org

by Philip Rosenthal March 2000, Updated May 2001

Contents
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................ 1

BIBLICAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF HATRED FOR ISRAEL ............................................................. 1

SOUTH AFRICA'S CURRENT GUILT TOWARDS ISRAEL AND GODS JUDGMENT .............................................. 2
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF SA-ISRAEL RELATIONS ......................................................................................................... 2
THE CURSE AND JUDGEMENT OF GOD .................................................................................................................................. 3
SIMILARITIES BETWEEN OUR TERRORISTS AND THOSE ATTACKING ISRAEL ............................................................................ 4
WHAT SHOULD WE DO?.................................................................................................................................................. 4

Introduction
The Network for United Prayer in South Africa (NUPSA) organised a special day (Saturday 11 March
2000) to pray for Gods forgiveness for South Africa's guilt for limiting Jewish immigration just before
WW2 as Nazi persecution was increasing in Germany (Jericho Walls (Dec/Jan 1999/2000, p11). This
guilt is in fact shared by almost all countries on earth with the exception of the Dominican Republic and
the Province of Shanghai in China - who said they would not accept significant number of Jewish
refugees when an international conference was held to discuss the Nazis planned expulsion of their
Jewish population from Germany.

While this day was important in addressing the mistakes of previous generations, we also need to address
South Africa's guilt for its conduct in the last decade - for which our generation can do something to
remedy. Before doing so, we must look at the biblical and historical background.

Biblical and historical background of hatred for Israel

Satan's schemes against the nation of Israel are not new, but occurred in almost every generation, from
the time that Esau began scheming to kill Jacob until the present day. The Nazi holocaust was simply the
climax of pogroms, persecution and expulsion of the Jewish people in every nation on the European
continent in every generation since the second exile of the Jewish people began in 70AD. Most of South
Africa's apartheid laws (group areas, pass laws, mixed marriages act, land ownership limitations, job
reservation, separate education etc.) were copied directly from laws discriminating against the Jewish
people in Europe for most of the past two thousand years. Persecution tended to follow wherever the
concentration of Jews was highest - until they were expelled. In biblical times, there was almost
continuous war between Israel and its neighbours (except for a brief period during the reign of Solomon).
Since the Nazi holocaust, the focus of this hatred has shifted from the Jewish Diaspora (exile) to the re-
birthed nation of Israel itself (mainly from Arab neighbours, but with the support of most of the rest of the
world). This follows the historical pattern of the focus of hatred following the highest concentration of
Jewish people.
 South Africa's relationship with Israel 2

Since its birth in 1948, the nation of Israel has had to defend itself in a series of wars with its neighbours
seeking to destroy it, as well as almost continuous terrorism from various groups - of which the leading
terrorist movement has been Yassir Arafat's PLO. At the same time, it has faced almost continuous
diplomatic pressure from almost every country in the United Nations to compromise its national security,
by conceding land retained after defensive wars to its enemies - as well as giving up its exclusive claims
to Jerusalem as its capital city. There have been more United Nations resolutions and debates on this
issue than on anything else (including the UN claim to rule Jerusalem as an international city). The
United States of America has in general been a pro-Israel exception to this rule, and many believe that its
prosperity is linked to God's promise to 'bless those who bless you' (Israel).

God's promise: 'I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse' (Genesis 12:3) is
given in the context of both Abraham and the nation, which he was predicted to become. It was repeated
by Isaac to Jacob (Israel) in Gen 27:29 and by Balaam in Numbers 24:9.

South Africa's current guilt towards Israel and Gods judgment

Historical background of SA-Israel relations

South Africa helped to protect Israel from the Nazi threat by their defence of Egypt in the battle of El
Alamein, which blocked the German Army's entry to Israel. In the 1948 war of independence, thousands
of South African Jews volunteered to fight. The largest voluntary donation in South African history was
that of South Africans who gave towards the rehabilitation and resettlement of holocaust survivors after
WW2 (many of them in Israel).

Many leaders in the pre-1948 Nationalist Party had Nazi sympathies and maintained a strongly anti-
Jewish attitude. This declined upon their election to power in 1948 probably because of worldwide
disgust to the Nazi holocaust. As South Africa found itself increasingly in a state of diplomatic isolation,
they sought friendship with the few other countries that were ostracised by the United Nations (e.g. Israel
and Taiwan). Israel, always looking for friends (of which they had very few) responded in terms of very
close trade and technological cooperation. Israel remains the fourth largest importer of South African
goods (2.7 billion dollars last year). Israel also gave training in local government management skills to a
large number of black South Africans in anticipation of their need of these skills after democratic
handover of power. Many of these people are now serving in municipal government. It has also
continued to take groups of promising young leaders over to Israel to share ideas about development.
South Africa does thus have much to its credit in its historical relationship with Israel.

This relationship began to sour after the 1994 elections, due to a number of factors:
• the ANC's close links with the PLO and other Arab enemies of Israel during the 'struggle era';
• South Africa's interests in selling weapons to wealthy Arab states;
• an increase in the number and influence of anti-Israel Muslims in the government.

The worsening of relations can be seen by the following events:

• South Africa recognising the statehood of the Palestinian Authority (which even the PLO has
not declared and Israel insists it will not allow, due to security risks of PLO armed forces that
would accompany full statehood). (Hansard Parliamentary Reports).

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South Africa's relationship with Israel 3

• A proposal to sell arms to Israel's most hostile neighbour Syria. (Syria remains the host and
financier for the violent terrorist group Hizb'allah in its colony Lebanon. It has remained in a state
of declared war against Israel since its inception). This deal seems to have been aborted as a result
of American pressure on South Africa. (Independent Aug 10, 1997)

• Dullah Omar (then minister of Justice) meeting with anti-Israel terror group leader Sheik
Yassin of Hamas (who refuses to negotiate for peace with Israel) and his invitation for him to
come to South Africa. This was subsequently withdrawn to avoid offending his rival 'Arafat'.
• Criticism of Israel by then Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Aziz Pahad (Jewish Report, July
10,98).

• On Yassir Arafat's 1998 visit to South Africa, where he tried to promote economic sanctions
against Israel, Nelson Mandela said to a crowd of cheering Moslem school children that if they
wanted to be like Arafat, they would have to work hard, be disciplined and do their homework
(Cape Times, August 12, 98). This implies that he is recommending an Islamic terrorist as a role
model for South African children. Arafat, is not only guilty as a murderer in his capacity as head
of the PLO terrorist group, but was personally responsible for the murder of Israeli school
children. (i.e. murder without any possible claim of military motivation).
Although Arafat is now negotiating with Israel, he has not apologised for any such actions and
continues to use inflammatory rhetoric such as 'waging holy war to liberate Jerusalem'. At the
same time he has consistently failed to implement his promises given in the Oslo Accords to
clamp down on terrorism by more radical Islamic groups - arresting them when asked to and then
releasing them again soon afterwards. The South African Jewish community has expressed anger
at the government's one-sided attitude in these negotiations (Jewish Report, Aug 21, 98).

• PLO leader Yassir Arafat was awarded the 'Order of Good Hope', South Africa's highest
civilian honour. Mandela then accepted the 'Star of the Holy Jerusalem' medal from Arafat. The
Cape Times and some other South African newspapers spoke of Arafat as if he was royalty (Cape
Times Aug 12, 98). In giving our highest honour to Arafat, South Africa thus endorses his
lifelong work to systematically terrorise innocent Israeli civilians - this deserves the judgement of
God.
• Shortly afterwards, South Africa hosted the 'Non-Aligned Movement Summit', which Israel was
invited to attend as an observer. South Africa then withdrew the Israeli ambassador's invitation
at the last minute as a result of pressure from Arab states.
• South Africa has continued to strengthen ties with Arab sponsors of terrorism against Israel such
as Lybia, Iran and Syria, whilst becoming increasingly cold towards Israel.
• In 2000, ex-president Nelson Mandela visited Iran, where he argued that Iranian Jews arrested
on spying charges did not need international support. Given Iran's terrible human rights record
and the international help which Mandela received to gain his own freedom, Israel found this
rather strange (ICEJ News, 1999).

• On 7 January 2001, President Thabo Mbeki pleged solidarity with the Palestine Liberation
Organisation and their struggle for an independent state (Daily News, 8 Jan 2001). The
government has also regularly criticised the actions of the Israeli government in their conflict with
the Palestinian Authority.

The curse and judgement of God

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 South Africa's relationship with Israel 4

From these and many other actions, South Africa is responsible for 'cursing Israel' and 'blessing' her
enemies. During the same period, South Africa began to experience some of the terrorism, which Israel
has been experiencing since its inception: bombing of both police and civilian targets. The terrorism
follows the same pattern as that executed by Arafat, Hamas, Lybia, Iran and Syria and all the other
enemies of Israel that South Africa has 'blessed'.

Similarities between our terrorists and those attacking Israel

• Our terrorists are said to be trained and funded from Iran (the same place as much of the PLO,
Hamas's training and funding is sourced).

• Our terrorists claim Islamic motivation (as do Hamas, Hizb'allah, and the PLO).
• Our terrorists claim other noble motives (such as smashing gangsterism and drug pushing) as do
those attacking Israel (who frequently set up operations under guise of welfare organisations).

• Following the Cape Town bombings, a letter to the Argus newspaper suggested security checks
for people on entering any restaurant in town. There is only one country on earth which has such
a high level of security: Israel.

Is it also perhaps more than a co-incidence that the timing of the start of Islamic terrorism in South
Africa coincides with its governments rejection of Israel? Muslim residents of Cape Town have lived
peacefully with their neighbours for generations - and most still do. Why now do we suddenly experience
this violence?

If the terrorism is as a result of the Gen 12:3 curse, then nothing the police can do will ultimately be able
to stop it. A curse, unlike an ordinary criminal or political problem requires dealing with the root cause.
In this case, it would involve repentance and restitution.

What should we do?

• Ideally, the government should withdraw its 'award' to Arafat and ask forgiveness from the Israeli
government.
• Until then, we can intercede on their behalf to turn away the wrath of God.
• We can make clear to the Israeli embassy that we do not support our governments' hostile policy
towards Israel.
• We can ask elected representatives to work towards a change of policy on Israel.

Please do copy and distribute this article. Comments and questions welcome.
by Philip Rosenthal
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