Is there reason to believe that recent changes in South Africa’s political landscape could pave the way for a shift in South Africa-Israel relations?
Apparently the Israeli government hopes that South Africa’s new coalition government will adopt a different approach to Israel and the war in Gaza than the increasingly hostile, anti-Israel stance taken by the ANC government in recent years.
Axios, a United States-based news website reported this week that Israel is lobbying members of Congress to press South Africa to drop its legal proceedings in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the Gaza war.
South Africa has until October 28 to give the top UN court its arguments for continuing the case against Israel over alleged violations of the Genocide Convention during the war. But in a further twist in the matter, reports emerging from Israel this week state that South Africa is asking the ICJ to extend the deadline for several months — apparently to obtain more evidence, or to use the time to continue to turn world opinion against Israel. Meanwhile the SA presidency said on Tuesday that its case against Israel will continue until the ICJ makes a ruling.
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According to Aixos, Israeli officials say in a classified cable sent on Monday to the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC and to all Israeli consulates in the US, that they want members of Congress to make clear to SA that there will be consequences for continuing to pursue the case in the ICJ.
According to the cable, Israeli diplomats were instructed to emphasise the message that the ANC has a chance to change course as part of the new government and pursue dialogue with Israel “instead of boycotts and punishments.”
Prayer breakfast for healing SA-Israel relations
Tshego Motaung, who hosts a longstanding weekly prayer meeting for the peace of Jerusalem and leads tours to Israel, told Gateway News that the Israeli foreign ministry’s call for the dropping of SA’s ICJ case aligns with their plans to host a prayer breakfast in Pretoria on October 7 for the healing of fractured relations between South Africa and Israel.
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Notably, one of the items on the provisional prayer breakfasst programme is an address by a Christian representative of the SA government — something that would have been unthinkable before the May elections that ended the ANC’s majority in Parliament.
Details of the prayer breakfast are still being finalised. A draft leaflet promoting the event notes that SA’s ICJ case has mobilised the world against Israel and contributed to increased antisemitism globally.
It also notes that history has proved that, as stated in Genesis 12: 2-3, those who bless Israel will be blessed, and those who curse Israel will be cursed.
Objectives of the prayer breakfast include “creating a platform for Christian leaders in SA to stand in the gap for the nation when it comes to Israel”, until “the rising of a new generation of government leaders who understand the importance of standing with Israel”.
Bafana Modise spokesperson for South Africa Friends of Israel told Gateway News that there has been some hope for more constructive SA-Israel relations arising from the ANC not having an absolute majority in the government of national unity.
“The ANC will have to consult and engage with other members on any foreign policy. We already do have friends within the GNU and we hope they will use their influence to start rekindling relations between Israel and South Africa,” he said.
ACDP MP Steve Swart believes that a shift in Israel policy in the short term is unlikely. Responding to qestions from Gateway News, he said: “The ACDP has been trusting for a political shift within the GNU as there are various parties within the GNU that support Israel (including the DA, the IFP, the FF Plus and the Patriotic Alliance). However, President Ramaphosa recently confirmed that South Africa will be continuing its case against Israel at the ICJ, which indicates that there is not, as yet, in our view any significant policy shift in this regard. This is probably due to more pressing issues facing the GNU domestically, such as low economic growth resulting in high unemployment and poverty; high crime levels; and poor education, health care and service delivery.
Christian response needed
“Christians should be concerned about this as we are instructed to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122: 6-8) and there are, in our view, severe consequences for those that stand against Israel (Genesis 12: 3) both spiritually and politically, from an international relations perspective. The United States, one of our most important trade partners, is already reviewing its relations with South Africa, including the preferential trade agreement (AGOA), and there could be other serious consequences.
“Christians should lobby those parties within the GNU that support Israel. This will hopefully result in a more balanced approach to the Israel by the GNU as compared to the previous ANC administration. Let us pray and hope that this will indeed be the case.”
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