anti-Semitism
2 February 2009
I have just returned from a visit to Japan and learned of the controversy
surrounding some comments that I was purported to have made. I have reviewed
the proceedings of the meeting, and wish to state the following:
Throughout my life I have been opposed to apartheid, and all forms of racism.
It is this opposition that drove me into exile, and to work with the African
National Congress (ANC) for decades.
Along with all in the ANC, and consistent with the recent Resolutions
adopted at our Polokwane Conference in December 2007, I have long been
cognisant of the immense suffering that the Palestinians have experienced in
the form of expulsions, collective punishment, and massacres (of which the
recent war in Gaza is but the latest example). It is to this suffering that I
spoke at the meeting.
I deplore the attempts of Zionists to justify policies that have worsened
the crisis in the Middle East, in particular unmitigated state violence
directed against unarmed civilians; as much as I deplore indiscriminate attacks
against Israeli unarmed civilians.
At a singular point in my talk, and entirely unrelated to any South African
community, I conflated Zionist pressure with Jewish influence. I regret the
inference made by some, that I am anti-Jewish. I do not believe that the cause
of the Palestinians is served by anti-Jewish racism.
As a member of the South African Government and a committed member of the
ANC I subscribe to the values and principles of non-racialism, and condemn
without equivocation, all forms of racism, including anti-Semitism in all its
manifestations and wherever it may occur.
To the extent that my statement may have caused hurt and pain, I offer an
unequivocal apology for the pain it may have caused to the people of our
country, and the Jewish community in particular.
I wish to reiterate that the major issue in relation to the Palestine-Israel
conflict is the enormous suffering of the Palestinian people, and the struggle
for peace for all its people based on justice and security for Israelis and
Palestinians alike. As Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, I re-affirm the
Governmentâs commitment to engage all parties, in Israel and Palestine to find
an amicable and just resolution to the conflict in that region.
Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
3 February 2009
