LETTER: Cries of antisemitism are a smokescreen

The Israeli lobby has been trying all sorts of tactics to move the ANC away from its principle of progressive internationalism and solidarity with oppressed peoples such as the people of Swaziland and Palestine but without success.

The chair of the SA Zionist forum, Ben Swartz, is doing exactly that in his letter (“ANC Must Consider Consequences of Alliance With Antisemitic Group BDS”, May 23). They use the usual claim of anti-Semitism; then they try to isolate individual leaders in the ANC who articulate and implement government policy on Palestine.

We’ve seen this when they came for Obed Bapela, ridiculously accusing him of being anti-Semitic; and Jessie Duarte, Lindiwe Sisulu and Naledi Pandor of being “anti-Israel”.

These ludicrous attempts are made to isolate the individual from the organisation, scare them from speaking out on positions of the organisation regarding Palestine.

The ANC’s decision to identify unambiguously as an internationalist organisation is embedded in our history. While the Israeli lobby was working hand in glove with Israel during our darkest times of apartheid, Palestine gave us unwavering solidarity and at times trained our combatants in battle.

No amount of threats and false accusations of anti-Semitism will deter our solidarity with Palestinians and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. As an organisation and people who benefited greatly from international boycotts, we dismiss the recent false accusation by some in Germany that the BDS boycott of Israel is anti-Semitic.

This warped logic is similar to saying that the boycott of apartheid was anti-white.

The boycott of Israel targets a regime, like how the boycott against apartheid targeted a regime.

May the BDS movement move from success to success and may the peace-loving people of Israel and Palestine find a just solution, like we did.

Alie Komape

Member of the ANC in Johannesburg, Ward 123, Sefako Makgatho Branch