It seems that our suspicions expressed in our previous Kasrils article that he has been forced to tow the line are true.
His recent letter to the Cape Times just about confirms that the government has indeed ordered Kasrils to start towing the line regarding their Middle East policy.
The South African government officially endorses a 2 state settlement to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Kasrils however, has repeatedly supported and endorsed a single state settlement (AKA the destruction of Israel).
Kasrils has repeatedly leveraged his high profile position (Minister of Intelligence in South Africa) to increase the relative importance of his views, whether they appear in public discussions or in the opinion pages of our newspapers. His articles are all appended with the disclaimer that he “writes in his personal and not his official capacity”.
His latest article in the Cape Times signalled a significant departure from his previous approaches. Kasrils for the first time spoke of the “practical” motivations for a two state settlement. But only after making the case for the one state final solution.
His article read like a naughty child who has been forced by his parents to eat Broccoli. The child forces the broccoli down - but only after screaming, whinging and throwing a tantrum.
The letter by Kasrils (written this time in his official capacity) in the Cape Times confirms that he merely paid lip-service to the two state settlement following government pressure forcing him to marry his view to the official view.
As if he really were a petulant child, Kasrils personally insults the Israeli Ambassador to South Africa, Ilan Baruch.
Believing that his official position bestows upon him a monopoly on intelligence Kasrils outrageously insults the intelligence of the Israeli ambassador claiming that “he cannot follow a debate” adding that "anything other than black or white is difficult for the ambassador to grasp".
But the Israeli ambassador did follow the debate and the Ronnie Kasrils is the one lacking intelligence. As Kasril's very own letter illustrates.
ISRAELI Ambassador, Ilan Baruch, shows he cannot follow a debate ("SA can aid Middle East process", September 20). He claims that although Deputy Foreign Minister, Aziz Pahad, and I represent one government, we express opposing views on the possible future of the Middle East. This is because he understands that I motivated for a "one-state solution", contradicting the "two-state solution" of the South African government and Pahad. My role at the conference was as a discussant on a panel, in response to two respected academics debating the "one state" solution. Yes, I am sympathetic to the latter solution - espoused by communists and rationalists of the region in the past - but I made it clear that the "two-state" solution would be the more implementable approach - if Israel showed the willingness to give it a chance. It appears that anything other than black or white is difficult for the ambassador to grasp. RONNIE KASRILS, MP MINISTER FOR INTELLIGENCE SERVICES |
Perhaps Kasrils didn’t even bother to read the Ambassador's article. If he had then he would have realised that the ambassador acknowledged his acceptance of the two state settlement before discussing his one state solution views. The ambassador wrote:
| Finally, Kasrils seems to accept the fact that there is no other option but the "two-state solution" in that Land of [Israel], and that Palestinians and Israelis should aspire to live side by side in peace, security and prosperity. |
Kasrils’ talk of the ambassador not being able to follow a debate is rich coming from someone who can’t even follow a simple article.
His insults represent a personal attack from a representative of the South African government on a representative of the Israeli government.
It reeks of flippantly childish "I'm more important than you" arrogance and Kasrils has once again resigned himself to the dustbin of Middle East discourse.
On Kasrils in the Cape Times, don't read too much into his letter. I believe the original article was not written by Kasrils but by Virginia Tilley, who managed to give herself a plug along the way. I think that the Ambassador's reasoned response shamed Kasrils and that his response to the Cape Times (written by Kasrils, not Tilley) was just an emotional reaction. Compare the tone of the original article and Kasrils's letter, and note the differences; then check the original Kasrils/Tilley article against Tilley's published writings on the web and you'll see what I mean.
Posted by: Joel Pollak | September 27, 2006 at 20:36
Good on the Israeli ambassador for publicly calling Kasrils’ bluff. He cant have his Halvah cake and eat it. Either he supports the SA government’s two state solution policy and loses his trendy Islamist/Leftist friends or he goes with the Ayatollah’s one state approach (more like no Jewish state approach) and is out of a job. The market for intelligence ministers isn’t bad in the Islamic republic of Iran at the moment but unfortunately for Ronnie I don’t think they are hiring Jews. That might explain why he now states in black and white that he believes ‘the "two-state" solution would be the more implementable approach’.
Joel, I agree with you that Ronnie probably didn’t write the first article. It showed far too much political finesse to be his alone. But I am more inclined to believe it was lifted from Seeking Mandela written by Heribert Adams and Kogila Moodely than Tilley. In their book, they have a similar critique of Tilley as Kasril’s in the first article. I have unfortunately misplaced my copy and so am unable to prove that it was an exact cut and paste job.
Posted by: | September 27, 2006 at 22:03
The comment above is mine
Posted by: Mike | September 27, 2006 at 22:04
Since Ronnie and others are so obessed with one state solution, then they should explain to us how successful one state was:
Yugoslavia.
If Ronnie is using up his time and energy sprouting nonsense in media, then one has to wonder his commitment in his job as a Minister of Intelligence?
Posted by: Vaz Lube | September 28, 2006 at 08:48
Ronnie Kasrils = Minister of Intelligence, Oxymoron, I think so. How can this clown be our Minister of Intelligence, he shopuld be kicked our of Goverment.
Posted by: . | October 06, 2006 at 16:21