ROWAN POLOVIN: GNU offers chance for foreign policy shift

The government of national unity (GNU) not only marks a seismic shift in SA’s domestic political landscape but also presents a pivotal opportunity to realign our foreign policy with the values of democratic nations, rather than supporting rogue states. This shift could also allow us to play a constructive role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and benefit from relations with Israel without delegitimising the country.

However, Gift of the Givers founder Imtiaz Sooliman has called for Naledi Pandor’s return as foreign minister, despite her controversial stance on a number of issues, reflecting the sentiments of those who support an extreme anti-Israel position in government policy.

A new international relations & co-operation minister whose stance on Israel mimics Pandor’s enmity, coupled with a continuation of the outgoing ANC government’s destructive anti-Western foreign policy, must be vocally opposed.

Exposing the ANC’s gaffes and double standards is essential, as is advocating for a moderate, democratic approach to SA’s international relations that engages in a dehyphenated approach towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — that is to maintain positive but distinct relations with both Israel and the Palestinians, without connecting the two on every issue.

Pandor has consistently portrayed Israel with false characterisations, such as labelling it an apartheid state, while defending and championing authoritarian regimes that practise oppression at home and abroad, including Iran and Russia. Her recent statements at the Brics dialogue and her refusal to label Iran as an authoritarian regime highlight a troubling inconsistency.

At an event earlier this year in the US hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Pandor was questioned about the Brics decision to include four authoritarian governments in the group. She challenged the characterisation, asking “Who makes these judgments? Because I don’t know, this assessment that you’re making.” When pressed by the moderator, specifically on Iran’s authoritarian nature, she replied: “I don’t know whether they are an authoritarian regime.”

Praising Putin

Pandor’s refusal to criticise dictatorships contrasts sharply with her aggressive stance against Israel, which she frequently and falsely accuses of committing genocide against the Palestinians. In so doing she does a disservice to actual victims of genocide. Similarly, the ANC’s approach to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has revealed a glaring double standard.

While condemning Israel at every opportunity, Pretoria has claimed to maintain a “neutral” stance on Russia, advocating for continued dialogue and mediation while in practice supporting Russia. On the very day Russian missiles rained down on Kyiv earlier this month, Pandor was in Russia praising Putin at a Brics meeting. Such actions undermine our country’s international credibility and expose the outgoing ANC government’s ideologically driven foreign policy, which operates against the interests of our people.

The ANC’s antagonistic approach towards Israel has strained SA’s relationships with Western democracies. While addressing a group in Cape Town recently, where she remarked on US speaker Mike Johnson’s comments about the International Criminal Court (ICC) threatening Israel’s leaders with arrest, Pandor said: “[Johnson] said that if the ICC is allowed to threaten Israel’s leaders, then we know that America will be next. Our response is: of course!”

Pandor, and by extension the ANC she represents, supports the politicised misuse of a UN court to further its anti-Western and anti-Israeli ideology. They endorse prosecuting democratic leaders but oppose holding dictators accountable.

The US-SA Bilateral Relations Review bill, which is under review, directs the US state department to reassess the bilateral relationship. This stems directly from such recklessness. SA’s alignment with oppressive regimes and its apparent support of Hamas in the Gaza conflict — most notably by dragging Israel to the International Court of Justice in an attempt to delegitimise Israel’s right to self-defence while shielding a proxy force of SA’s allies, has raised eyebrows in the US.

This potential US reassessment endangers substantial trade benefits under the African Growth & Opportunity Act that are crucial to the SA economy.

Bashing Israel

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s chanting of the genocidal call “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” at the ANC’s final electioneering event was yet another dangerous and internationally embarrassing incident. This slogan, widely recognised as a call for the elimination of the Jewish state, underscored the ANC’s willingness to further its election interests by using extremist rhetoric exclusively reserved for the Jewish state.

It failed dismally as a vote-catcher, as the electorate did not support the ANC’s strategy of bashing Israel to garner votes. Furthermore, the department of international relations & co-operation has blatantly exploited the Gaza war since the brutal Hamas attacks of October 7 to uncritically repeat and spread Hamas propaganda.

By failing to correct falsehoods when facts prove otherwise, as has happened repeatedly, the department entrenches its false narrative against Israel that ultimately serves to divide SA groups against each other. Our country stands at a crossroads. The new coalition government has the opportunity to redefine its foreign policy, aligning more closely with democratic values and partners.

Rebuilding relationships with the US and other Western nations should be a priority. These relationships are crucial for economic growth, security, co-operation and advancing SA’s global standing. By maintaining a hardline stance against Israel while courting oppressive regimes, SA risks isolating itself from the very allies it needs most. Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, offers valuable partnerships that could address many of SA’s challenges.

Israel’s advancements in technology, agriculture, energy, cybersecurity and water management are areas in which collaboration could yield significant benefits for SA. By viewing Israel as a partner rather than a nemesis, SA can foster mutually beneficial relationships that benefit citizens. A pragmatic approach is to adopt a policy of dehyphenation — to maintain positive but distinct relations with both the Israelis and the Palestinians.

In this new political era SA has the opportunity to chart a course that reflects its democratic ideals and pragmatic interests. Rejecting the divisive and biased rhetoric of the past and embracing a forward-looking, inclusive approach will pave the way for a brighter future.

• Polovin is national chair of the SA Zionist Federation.