Iqbal Jassat
South Africa’s bold move to declare the zionist regime’s envoy Persona Non Grata and expel him from the country, has been welcomed by Palestine’s Resistance and solidarity movements.
This step is a crucial marker of the Ramaphosa government’s principled stand to defend and uphold its sovereignty.
Despite US bullying and intimidation, it stood firmly to resist zionist attempts to undermine the Pretoria government.
Following the crucial intervention it made at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the current decision is yet another courageous position that requires solidarity from all political formations, civil society groups, trade unions and human rights organisations.
Having monitored the provocative conduct of the apartheid regime’s deputy ambassador Ariel Seidman, one is compelled to agree with Dept of International Relations’ decision to declare him persona non grata, and expel him from the country.
His series of questionable actions are correctly deemed by the government as “unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practice”, posing a threat to the country’s sovereignty.
As Netanyahu’s hasbara (propaganda) agent, the mischief generated by Seidman was intolerable.
The sheer audacity of using the apartheid regime’s platforms to launch “insulting attacks” against President Ramaphosa, became increasingly pugnacious.
And in violation of diplomatic protocol, Seidman has been found to abuse privileges by interfering in provincial institutions without approval.
Information in the public domain confirms that the zionist embassy was accused of a “deliberate failure” to inform South African authorities about undeclared visits by senior Israeli officials that deliberately bypassed national government approval.
Israel’s defiance of international laws and UNSC resolutions, despite being a habitual rejector of civilised values and norms, will not be tolerated by countries who value independence.
The message is clear.
Impunity by Netanyahu and his arrogant agents will not go unpunished.
Despite the fact that the decision is informed by South Africa’s inalienable right to protect its sovereignty from foreign meddling, rightwing parties from the Freedom Front (FF Plus) to the Democratic Alliance (DA) have responded by throwing tantrums.
Not surprising, nor unexpected.
Rightwing solidarity with apartheid Israel, whether in South Africa or elsewhere in the west, is defined by being comfortable with racism, genocide and ethnic-cleansing.
The truth is that for as long as they tolerate Israel’s inhumane conduct against Palestinians in Gaza and the Occupied West Bank, the stigma of being friends with a genocidal regime will remain.
For them to be up in arms, alongside Israel’s local lobbyists is not shocking.
It is an expression of their distorted worldview—more in line with their warmongering “heroes”, Trump and Netanyahu.
Be sure that they would have begun lobbying for strong, punitive actions from the United States.
After all, the myth of “white genocide” that has characterised the Trump regime’s hostile attitude towards South Africa was manufactured by elements within rightwing camps.
The absurdity of opposing a sovereign government’s integrity and independence is not diplomatic posture.
It is provocative and insulting.
No self respecting South African should accept it.
David Miller gave an excellent explanation of such ridiculously illogical positions in the context of the violent regime-change campaigns in the Islamic Republic of Iran: “When Mossad calls for riots and the western left calls it a ‘freedom struggle’, something has gone disastrously wrong.”
Indeed, thugs who masquerade as “diplomats” in South Africa or “protesters” in Iran, will remain a red line.
If you cross it, you will face the consequences.
While uncertainty prevails about whether Trump will bomb and invade Iran, we learn that the US is moving its THAAD ballistic missile defense to new positions in Israel.
The question is what exactly is left of Israel, other than a large military camp, to defend?
The reality faced by the zionist regime whose key military, intelligence and financial hubs were severely damaged by Iranian missiles, is that it is morally bankrupt, economically damaged and politically weak.
We learn that the country’s Eilat port has filed for bankruptcy.
Its biggest refinery in Haifa is running below 50% capacity, struggling to recover from the damage caused by Iran.
Almost a million are jobless and 800,000 unemployed; 200,000 or more have fled to their countries of origin, never to return.
Foreign investment has evaporated by as much as 70%.
And Netanyahu faces charges of war crimes at the Hague while suicide within the army of killers has become endemic.
The narrative thus must be focused on why South Africa took the all-important decision to expel Seidman, not on concealing his weaponisation of regime-change operations.
Iqbal Jassat, Executive Member, Media Review Network, Johannesburg, South Africa
