Board warns SA against shrinking Israel embassy

The South African Jewish Board of Deputies is warning against SA downgrading its embassy in Israel to a liaison office.

Last week, the ANC national policy conference adopted a recommendation put forward by its Western Cape chapter to downgrade SA’s embassy in Tel Aviv to a liaison office.

In terms of the resolution, the international relations commission called for the embassy downgrading to send a strong message “about Israel’s continued illegal occupation of Palestine and the continued human rights abuses against the peoples of Palestine”.

Jewish Board of Deputies national director Wendy Kahn told Business Day the group would make submissions on the matter as the recommendation still needed to be ratified at the ANC national elective conference in December.

Kahn said a risk analysis or study on the effects of the downgrading needed to be conducted before December.

“The [board of deputies], as a stakeholder … will be contributing to the outcomes of such a study, as well as the many conversations and debates on this issue in the coming weeks and months leading up to the elective conference,” said Kahn.

“Our contribution will be on ways that we believe the ANC could play a real and meaningful role in the peace process.”

The organisation believed it would be “ill-advised for SA to remove itself from the pivotal role of bringing the parties [Israel and Palestine] together to resolve this tragic conflict”.

Other observers believe Tel Aviv will, in turn, downgrade its embassy in SA should the ANC’s resolution come into effect.

Allan Horwitz, spokesman for the South African Jews for a Free Palestine, said the ANC’s resolution was “a concrete step beyond rhetoric”.

“Israel must be held accountable for its crimes against the Palestinian people and a clear message must be sent that there are no normal relations with an abnormal regime,” Horwitz said.

Palestinian ambassador to SA, Hashem Dajani, reportedly said the ANC resolution was an “advanced move to put pressure on the apartheid government of Israel in order to end occupation of the state of Palestine”.

The ANC’s Western Cape provincial secretary, Faiez Jacobs, said: “We are under no illusion that Israel and its lobby will attempt to pressure the ANC, but this mighty movement will remain steadfast in advancing the interests and solidarity of our people.”