SA must get on right side of history

AS ISRAEL Apartheid Week (IAW) raises its ugly head on university campuses, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement is once again launching its fruitless campaign against Israel.

Apart from becoming Woolworths’ most significant PR agent, resulting in an increase in trade and share value, it bucks the trend in the world.

In the past two decades Israel has made remarkable progress in technologies such as water, weapons, health, intelligence and trade.

It has surged from a Third World economy in the 1950s to a strong First World economy nearing $40 000 (R615 000) GDP/capita today.

This interests many countries struggling to also move from the Third World to the First World.

India has called the Indian-Israel relationship of the “highest importance”. Indo-Israeli trade is annually almost $5 billion and growing.

Vietnam also has developed a positive view of Israel, with trade heading toward $1bn a year.

Romania finds Israel a congenial business partner. Bulgaria talks of joint military exercises and a three- way gas summit.

Since 1991, Greece has become “an important ally”, conducting joint air and naval exercises, intelligencesharing and trade.

Formerly hostile countries in Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East have developed close ties to a strong Israel. Last year in Washington Dore Gold and General Anwar Eshki, a former top Saudi adviser, talked of Saudi-Israeli peace and named Iran as the major threat to peace in the Middle East.

Abu Dhabi is allowing the Israelis to open an office at the International Renewable Energy Agency. Egypt is sending a new ambassador to Israel.

Egypt and Israel have been co-operating on fighting Islamic State (IS) in the Sinai.

As for Jordan, whose leaders meet frequently with Israeli leaders, Israel pledged to protect Jordan’s vulnerable border against any IS encroachment.

BDS and IAW are failures and facing bans in important First World countries.

It’s about time that South Africa gets on the right side of history.