The South African Zionist Federation has expressed grave concern over the invitation extended by Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils to Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas to visit South Africa.
The ruling given by the quartet of the United Nations, the European Union, Russia and the United States concerning any relationship with Hamas is clear and unequivocal — there will be no acknowledgement of the Hamas government until it recognises Israel’s right to exist, renounces violence and accepts existing peace deals, the federation said in a statement on Thursday.
However, according to Thursday’s Pakistan Daily Times, Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum said the programme of the proposed unity government between Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction ”will not recognise Israel and will not include accepting the two-state solution”.
”We reject the two-state solution, which is the vision of US President George Bush, because it represents a clear recognition of Israel,” he was quoted as saying.
Given this scenario, the federation is most disturbed by the invitation by the South African government, delivered by Kasrils, which contradicts the government’s stated policy on Israel and the Middle East.
The Associated Press (AP) reported earlier on Thursday that a visit to South Africa would be Haniyeh’s first trip outside the Muslim world.
At a joint news conference with Haniyeh in Gaza, Kasrils reportedly said of the new Palestinian unity government, a coalition of Hamas and the Fatah movement of moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas: ”We stand by you and support you … We in South Africa look forward to you being able to lead a delegation to our country.”
The AP said Haniyeh accepted the invitation, but no date was set for a trip.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mark Regev also criticised the move, saying extending invitations to leaders of a movement still pledged to Israel’s destruction would ”entrench extremist positions”.
Regev said the move gave ”legitimacy and recognition to an unreformed extremist Hamas leadership”. — Sapa