The Palestine Solidarity Campaign South Africa has called for the immediate recall of South Africa’s ambassador to Israel‚ which it has accused of bullying African nations.
This follows Israel’s decision to withdraw its ambassador from and to block aid to Senegal‚ one of the four co-sponsors of a resolution passed by the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Friday condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank — including Jerusalem – all of which are illegal under international law.
Fourteen out of 15 states in the council voted in favour of the resolution. The United States abstained.
“Although Israel received no support from any UNSC member‚ it responded in typical bullying style‚ reserving its greatest opprobrium for Senegal‚ one of four co-sponsors of the resolution. The Egyptian junta‚ the original sponsor‚ shamefully withdrew its draft after General Sisi received a call from Donald Trump.
“Two of the four co-sponsors – Venezuela and Malaysia – refuse to have diplomatic relations with Israel. The Israeli foreign ministry thus withdrew its ambassadors from the other two – New Zealand and Senegal‚ and announced the blocking of ‘aid’ to Senegal‚” the PSC said in a statement on Sunday.
It noted that Israel had a number of agricultural and other projects in Senegal‚ which would be affected by this decision.
“It is clear‚ and the global Palestine solidarity movement has emphasised for decades‚ that Israel’s ‘aid’ to African states is not philanthropic but is a matter of opportunistic leverage.
“(Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu’s recent visit to a few East African states showed once again that relations with these states was in order to get their support for Israel to obtain observer status at the African Union‚ and to buy these states’ support at the UN‚” the PSC asserted.
“Further‚ Israeli ‘aid’ is not as benign as conveyed by Israeli apologists. A large amount of the weapons being used in both sides of the conflict in South Sudan‚ for example‚ comes from Israeli weapons manufacturers. Kenya‚ Ethiopia and other countries are tied into Israeli intelligence systems; military relationships are numerous; and crowd dispersal equipment such as water cannons have been supplied to many African countries – including South Africa.
“These are weapons that are often used against African citizens of these states to quell domestic dissent and suppress demands for democratic change‚ often as a prelude to shooting to kill. Israeli business people are also deeply implicated in the murky world of blood diamond trade‚” the PSC further charged.
As the case of Senegal indicated‚ the purpose of this “aid” was to muscle recipient states to support Israel in whatever ways it wished‚ it added.
“The pressure worked with Egypt – which is more than happy to give Israel whatever support it requests; but Senegal was unwilling to sell its principles for sordid bribes. As Senegalese officials noted‚ that country has supported the Palestinian cause for decades‚ it has been a member of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People since its formation in 1975‚ and Senegal’s ambassador to the UN currently chairs the committee.
“The Palestine Solidarity Campaign-South Africa condemns this bullying of a fellow African state‚ expresses its support for the Senegalese people and calls on the Senegalese government to remain firm in its commitment to the Palestinian people‚” the PSC stated.
It called on the South African government to:
-Also condemn the Israeli intimidation of a fellow AU member;
-Extend its support to the Senegalese government and people;
-Lobby other states on the continent to ensure that Israel will never win an observer seat at the AU;
-Investigate all Israeli government projects in South Africa‚ with a view to shutting them down as has been demanded by a large cross section of Palestinian civil and political society in their call for boycotts‚ divestment and sanctions against the apartheid state of Israel – the same kind of call that the former anti-apartheid movement had made with respect to apartheid South Africa.
PSC calls for immediate recall of SA ambassador to Israel
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign South Africa has called for the immediate recall of South Africa’s ambassador to Israel‚ which it has accused of bullying African nations.
This follows Israel’s decision to withdraw its ambassador from and to block aid to Senegal‚ one of the four co-sponsors of a resolution passed by the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Friday condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank — including Jerusalem – all of which are illegal under international law.
Fourteen out of 15 states in the council voted in favour of the resolution. The United States abstained.
“Although Israel received no support from any UNSC member‚ it responded in typical bullying style‚ reserving its greatest opprobrium for Senegal‚ one of four co-sponsors of the resolution. The Egyptian junta‚ the original sponsor‚ shamefully withdrew its draft after General Sisi received a call from Donald Trump.
“Two of the four co-sponsors – Venezuela and Malaysia – refuse to have diplomatic relations with Israel. The Israeli foreign ministry thus withdrew its ambassadors from the other two – New Zealand and Senegal‚ and announced the blocking of ‘aid’ to Senegal‚” the PSC said in a statement on Sunday.
It noted that Israel had a number of agricultural and other projects in Senegal‚ which would be affected by this decision.
“It is clear‚ and the global Palestine solidarity movement has emphasised for decades‚ that Israel’s ‘aid’ to African states is not philanthropic but is a matter of opportunistic leverage.
“(Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu’s recent visit to a few East African states showed once again that relations with these states was in order to get their support for Israel to obtain observer status at the African Union‚ and to buy these states’ support at the UN‚” the PSC asserted.
“Further‚ Israeli ‘aid’ is not as benign as conveyed by Israeli apologists. A large amount of the weapons being used in both sides of the conflict in South Sudan‚ for example‚ comes from Israeli weapons manufacturers. Kenya‚ Ethiopia and other countries are tied into Israeli intelligence systems; military relationships are numerous; and crowd dispersal equipment such as water cannons have been supplied to many African countries – including South Africa.
“These are weapons that are often used against African citizens of these states to quell domestic dissent and suppress demands for democratic change‚ often as a prelude to shooting to kill. Israeli business people are also deeply implicated in the murky world of blood diamond trade‚” the PSC further charged.
As the case of Senegal indicated‚ the purpose of this “aid” was to muscle recipient states to support Israel in whatever ways it wished‚ it added.
“The pressure worked with Egypt – which is more than happy to give Israel whatever support it requests; but Senegal was unwilling to sell its principles for sordid bribes. As Senegalese officials noted‚ that country has supported the Palestinian cause for decades‚ it has been a member of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People since its formation in 1975‚ and Senegal’s ambassador to the UN currently chairs the committee.
“The Palestine Solidarity Campaign-South Africa condemns this bullying of a fellow African state‚ expresses its support for the Senegalese people and calls on the Senegalese government to remain firm in its commitment to the Palestinian people‚” the PSC stated.
It called on the South African government to:
-Also condemn the Israeli intimidation of a fellow AU member;
-Extend its support to the Senegalese government and people;
-Lobby other states on the continent to ensure that Israel will never win an observer seat at the AU;
-Investigate all Israeli government projects in South Africa‚ with a view to shutting them down as has been demanded by a large cross section of Palestinian civil and political society in their call for boycotts‚ divestment and sanctions against the apartheid state of Israel – the same kind of call that the former anti-apartheid movement had made with respect to apartheid South Africa.
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