Nelson Mandela’s South Africa’s love for Palestine and hatred for Israel & Jews?

Nelson Mandela’s South Africa’s love for Palestine and hatred for Israel & Jews?

Nelson Mandela, a leader of resistance, who, liberated South Africa from the clutches of White Supremacists, has as many friends as foes across the globe.

One of the harsh criticisms that he was at the receiving end of, was from West for his association with the Palestinian and Yasser Arafat whom he once called “Comrade in Arm” which did not go well with the Jewish leadership in particular and American policy makers in general.

On his visit to the City College Of New York, at Aron Davis Hall, he faced several critical questions for his meeting with the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and his opinion about a movement, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). First question was on his relationship with Yasser Arafat and Palestinian. He was composed and responded simply and shortly saying”it is their mistake that they think their enemies should be our enemies” he further added “we respect every individual who supported our resistance with the resources, Yasser Arafat, Colonel Qaddafi of Libya and Fidel Castro are the remarkable amongst all”. For second question rose Henry Siegman, executive director of the American Jewish Congress and asked about Mandela’s association with Yasser Arafat. The response was quite emphatic and strongly worded “we identify ourselves with the PLO and Yasser Arafat as both of us are fighting for the right of self-determination”. “Comrade in Arm” comment made by Mandela drew headlines.

In a 1997 speech on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people Mandela reiterated stating “we know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians”.

Did Mandela’s support to Palestinian cause enable him to bear ill-will towards Jews or Jewish community?

Once a reader goes through his autobiography “LONG WALK TO FREEDOM” he or she can easily make an assessment about his treatment towards Jews.

Did Mandela’s support to Palestinian cause enable him to bear ill-will towards Jews or Jewish community?

Once a reader goes through his autobiography “LONG WALK TO FREEDOM” he or she can easily make an assessment about his treatment towards Jews.

Mandela’s glorification of Jews

At page 54, autobiography alludes to the Jews where Mandela sharing his experience with a Law Firm, he was a part of, tells the readers that Jews are relatively better than White Supremacists. “It was a Jewish firm, and in my experience, I have found Jews to be more broad-minded than most whites on issues of race and politics, perhaps because they themselves have historically been victims of prejudice”.

Mandela’s Jew friends. 

At page 66, Nelson Mandela recalls his time and friends at the university of Witwatersand, Johannesburg commonly known as University of Wits, where he pleasantly mentions two of his Jewish friends Joe Slovo and his future wife, Ruth First. “Then as now, Joe had one of the sharpest, most incisive minds I have ever encountered. He was an ardent Communist, and was known for his high-spirited parties. Ruth had an outgoing personality and was a gifted writer. Both were the children of Jewish immigrants to South Africa.

At page 79, Mandela in a subtle manner enlightens the readers about the firm belief of Jews and their return and retention of the promised land in Palestine in a paragraph that goes like this; “in the distorted cosmology of the Afrikaner, the Nationalist victory was like the Israelites’ journey to the Promised Land. This was the fulfillment of God’s promise, and the justification for their view that South Africa should be a white man’s country forever”.

At page 188, a notion about Nelson Mandela of his being a pacifist gets cleared. He various times was heard saying in interviews and press conferences that resolve your issues as amicably as possible but if it remains unresolved, use the violence as an ultimate and last resort. He even admitted and went on disclosing the fact to the extent of raising an army in these words “I, WHO HAD NEVER been a soldier, who had never fought in battle, who had never fired a gun at an enemy, had been given the task of starting an army. It would be a daunting task for a veteran general much less a military novice. The name of this new organization was Umkhonto we Sizwe (The Spear of the Nation) — or MK for short. The symbol of the spear was chosen because with this simple weapon Africans had resisted the incursions of whites for centuries”.

On the same page he further refers to the person he derived strength from and learned the tactics of warfare. He acknowledges that “I read The Revolt by Menachem Begin, the leader of the Zionist Militant Group, Irgun and was encouraged by the fact that the Israeli leader had led a guerrilla force in a country with neither mountains nor forests, a situation similar to our own”.

How Mandela recalls and treats Jews in his autobiography?

On Page 193,  Mandela recalls one of his Jewish friends, who was one of the first members of MK as well. Arthur was his name. By profession he was an artist and the designer and the remarkable feat of his life was that in the 1940s, he had fought with the Palmach, the military wing of the Jewish National Movement in Palestine.

The reading of the autobiography may assist a reader to arrive at a conclusion that Mandela had a sympathetic approach towards everybody who was a victim of the atrocities and whosoever suffered at the hands of unjust military power, however, holding a view that he had specific concern for the Muslims in general and Palestinians in particular would be a fallacy.

Why south Africa alone and why did not any Muslim country bite the bullet to institute a lawsuit against Israel?

Firstly, to call a spade a spade and to live the legacy inherited by the father of Republic of South Africa, Nelson Mandela

Secondly, there are number of Muslim representatives in African National Congress as well as in Democratic Alliance who unanimously made a resolution to raise the voice against Israeli genocide holding it accountable for its reprehensible crime.

Thirdly, Africans and Palestinians share one thing in common, that is constant struggle and regular resistance for the right of self-determination.

Fourthly, the people in Africa for some spiritual reason are taking recourse to Islam and sharing the spirit of brotherhood with Muslims. For instance, Mandla Mandela the son of  Makgatho Mandela (Second son of Nelson Mandela)an MP and tribal chief of the Mvezo Traditional Council embraced Islam has backed Palestinian cause and was able to gather support from leaders of different dispensation.

Muslim countries including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait equipped with resources, though are endorsing the lawsuit of South Africa, however, a)due to their own violation of human right values, b) to please Europe and the West, and c) to prevent from any upheaval in their countries, they are unable to muster courage to go against the Israeli killing and defend defenseless.

Effectiveness of the lawsuit and impending repercussions for Africa

South Africa has knocked the portal of International Court of Justice expecting the justice will be rendered and the culprits of genocide will be held accountable.

By dragging Israel to the court of supreme authority, South Africa has not only retained her legacy of standing on the side of the oppressed, it has also earned as many friends as foes going against the United States of America and the United Kingdom as well as some other military powers.

The lawsuit if effectively bears positive results and the verdict of the ICJ puts an end to the massacre of Palestinians, it may prevent from losing its credibility.

The image of ICJ is already at stake as the Israel have repeatedly said “No one, not even The Hague, can halt war against Hamas” and the larger view about its functioning is that this Principal judicial organ of UN, having 15 member judges, has ceased working it was meant for and, therefore, it is at times termed as a toothless organization.

South Africa has to be prepared to tackle the sanctions of these powerful countries as this act of South Africa will not go unpunished.