With his controversial official solidarity visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran behind him, South African Minister of Intelligence Ronnie Kasrils pushed on to that other bastion of tyranny Zimbabwe. This was only a brief visit 'to mend some political fences' with the Mugabe regime before setting off to Gaza city for a chat with his ideological friend, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas. It's like he is starring in the diplomatic version of the totalitarian block's "Amazing Race."
Kasrils has for a long time now been at the forefront of strengthening the South Africa-Mugabe alliance. Thus when a diplomatic tiff between Harare and Pretoria was sparked by accusations of Zimbabwe opposition activists receiving military training in South Africa, Kasrils was the ideal emissary to reassure the increasingly paranoid Mugabe regime. It will be interesting to see if there is any crackdown in South Africa on those engaged in the anti-Mugabe struggle.
After placating one tyrant, Kasrils was off to shore up another. He is truly a fortunate man. How many of us get to pursue our true passions as part of our day jobs? The down side of course, is that no-one can tell where South Africa's official foreign policy ends and Kasrils' extreme personal views begin. Take his reported comments today to Ismail Haniyeh in the Associated Press: 'We stand by you and support you'. So does the government of South Africa now support the slaughtering of Jewish civilians and the establishment of an Islamist state over all the territory between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea? Somehow I don't think so! Perhaps Kasrils was misquoted, again.
No matter what else you may think of our Ronnie, you have to concede that he sure knows how to stick up for his friends. He is always prepared to stretch the truth that extra mile. So in classic Kasrilspeak, he demanded that the international community lift its embargo on the Palestinian Authority because 'the government of Mr. Haniyeh and President Abbas have gone a long way to meeting those requirements (laid down by the international community to lift the embargo) as we understand them.'
Don't know about you, but I have yet to see the Hamas dominated PA government renounce violence. Kasrils must have missed all those rockets that they fired into Southern Israel on Independence Day. What about recognising Israel's right to exist? Well I have not heard of any changes to the Hamas charter or even the unity government guidelines. Neither have I seen anything to suggest that Haniyeh will accept previously signed agreements with Israel.
Kasrils did not stop there. He invited Haniyeh to head an official delegation to visit him in sunny South Africa. Haniyeh of course, was thrilled. As his adviser explained, he is hoping for a photo op with Madiba.
South Africa, via Minister Kasrils, has once again placed itself outside the international democratic consensus. Our foreign policy in general and Kasrils in particular are fast eroding any moral authority that we once had. For many in the west, we have just become another Third World joke.
You must have missed the 702 report where When asked by 702 Eyewitness News whether he would ask Hamas to renounce terror and recognize Israel's right to exist, Kasrils replied that 'South Africans understand that repression begets resistance'.
He has indeed now openly called for the mass murder of Jewish women and children!
Posted by: Gary | May 03, 2007 at 21:45
He has written in an ANC journal that "we south africans" support the renunciation of violence of all sides. But he made this subject to a framework which includes the right of return.
So as long as Israel continues to exist as a Jewish state he will not call for an end to violence.
Posted by: Steve | May 03, 2007 at 21:51
What we need to internalize is that he is endorsing Hamas' actions in killing Jewish children-just like the children killed by the Nazis during World War II.
It is no longer an issue of Foreign Policy, it ia an issue of incitement to genocide of Jews.
Think how you-as diaspora Jews-would react if you and your children were targeted by terror.
The Jews of the world-including Israel-are one people.
why are South African Jewry reacting so calmly, or rather so apathetically...
Posted by: Gary | May 03, 2007 at 22:14
What we need to internalize is that he is endorsing Hamas' actions in killing Jewish children-just like the children killed by the Nazis during World War II.
It is no longer an issue of Foreign Policy, it ia an issue of incitement to genocide of Jews.
Think how you-as diaspora Jews-would react if you and your children were targeted by terror.
The Jews of the world-including Israel-are one people.
why are South African Jewry reacting so calmly, or rather so apathetically...
Posted by: Gary | May 03, 2007 at 22:15
Repression begets resistance. I cannot disagree with this statement. I find it difficult to see how this can be interpreted as a call for genocide. It is also difficult to see how the military wing of Hamas, armed only with crudely built rockets, could actually achieve such an aim, bearing in mind that the IDF is the fourth most powerful military machine on the planet. And is armed to the teeth with US built military hardware, to boot.
Posted by: Lev | May 04, 2007 at 09:11
Lev, I think there is a big difference between legitimate resistance and violence against innocent civilians. Hamas engages in the latter. I don believe indiscriminately targeting women and children can ever be justified.
One doesn’t need a high tech army to effect a genocide. In Rwanda, for example, the humble Masheti did the job.
Mark Steyn wrote a brilliant article on this contraction between the most powerful armies in the world being powerless in the face of terrorism. Bascially his argument was that the more force you have, the less you are legitimately able to sue it. The Lebanon war is a good case in point. Just because Israel was able reduced Lebanon to a nuclear wasteland, doesn’t mean that they could actually do it.
The terrorists on the other hand are not constrained by international law and public opinion. A dirty bomb in the hands of 1 Hamas madman could certainly create genocidal like damage on Israel. No army in the world could stop that.
Posted by: Mike | May 04, 2007 at 12:51
Of course Kasrils wouldn't object to the killing of Israeli women and children.
Killing innocents was/is the speciality of his heros like Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Castro, Arafat and Mugabe.
Posted by: Gary | May 04, 2007 at 14:02
It is evident that The Minister of Intelligence has hijacked the
foreign affairs portfolio. I suppose that the surveillance of
President Mbeki's political opponents must be a bit of a drag when you
can be a contestant on "The Amazing (Disg)race"! (It would be
interesting to find out how Ronno Einstein travels. Does he use one of
the old Presidential planes?)
I wonder, on a more serious note, what FIFA (Sepp Blatter) make of
such shenanigans. I reckon that a country that supports dictators and
suicide bombers might be in danger of losing 2010. Surely it wasn't
part of their bid proposal?
Posted by: THE DICTATOR / EMBITTERED CORRESPONDENT | May 04, 2007 at 14:58
Anthony, despite what your friends in the FXI say about your intelligence, you never fail to impress with you sharp wit. ‘Amazing (disg)race’ is just right!
I have said before that Kasrils behaves like South Africa’s de facto Minister of Totalitarian Affairs. But has he really hijacked South African foreign policy or does he actually represent them? If I had a government minister that had embarrassed my country’s international standing as much as Red Ronnie, I would ‘change channels’ and like all the incompetent contestants in the Apprentice, give him the boot.
Posted by: Mike | May 04, 2007 at 15:57
At least if Tokyo becomes President he will have had some experience in how do do the job.
Posted by: Mike | May 04, 2007 at 15:59
Kasrils travels first-class commercial, or at least he did when he went to Syria in November. I was on the same Emirates flight as him to Dubai (since there are no direct flights to Syria) and spotted him just after we landed. He didn't seem to have any heavies with him, except for one guy who *might* have been one, so I guess he likes travelling unobtrusively and his local hosts provide any additional security.
Didn't get a chance to speak to him though. That's probably a good thing, considering the things I really wanted to say weren't exactly appropriate.
Posted by: Darren | May 06, 2007 at 00:32