The storm of controversy unleashed by South African Deputy Foreign Minister Fatima Hajaig’s anti-Semitic comments is showing no sign of abating.
Thoughtleader blogger and Jewish Board of Deputies associate director David Saks first broke the news on his blog on January 18.
Hajaig apparently told a crowd in Lenasia earlier this month that: ”They [Jews] control [America], no matter which government comes into power, whether Republican or Democratic, whether Barack Obama or George Bush … Their control of America, just like the control of most Western countries, is in the hands of Jewish money and if Jewish money controls their country then you cannot expect anything.”
Doron Isaacs, who works as the coordinator of Equal Education, a community-based civil society formation working for educational quality and equality in South African schools, on Thursday called for Hajaig to apologise, or step down.
He earler signed a petition with other prominent Jews urging an end to Israel’s strike against Gaza.
This comes after the South African Jewish Board of Deputies lodged a formal complaint with the Human Rights Commission against Hajaig for her anti-Semitic utterances.
Isaacs told the Mail and Guardian, that his call comes after he and four others — including well known HIV/Aids activist Zakie Achmat — sent a letter to the deputy minister asking her to confirm her comments.
When no response came from her office, Isaacs said, it was then assumed that her statements were confirmed.
”We do not think she should be a member of Cabinet,” he said.
He added that Hajaig’s statements had only served to undermine the Palestinian people’s cause for liberation as it failed to distinguish between the actions of the state of Israel and ”conspiracy theories”.
”The deputy minister has insulted the Jewish people of South Africa — many of whom do not support the attack in Gaza.”
When approached for comment, Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said that Hajaig was currently in Japan.
He commented on her behalf: ”The South African government to which Deputy Minister Hajaig belongs has committed itself to combating all forms of racism in all its manifestations including anti-Semitism [and] the deputy minister remains true to these principles. She believes that the solution to the Middle East crisis between Palestine and Israel is the establishment of an independent Palestinian state co-existing side by side with an Israeli state existing within secure borders.”
Meanwhile, political analyst Steven Friedman was quoted by Business Day as saying on Thursday said that while the statement by Hajaig was ”ill-advised”, the South African Jewish Board of Deputies’ complaint was a red herring and the board was diverting attention from the real issue.
”What we should really be talking about is the aggressive campaign to camouflage the attempt by the Israelis to cower the Palestinians into submission.”
He said the real human rights issue was that Israel was ”destroying what may be the only democratically elected government in the Middle East with the exception of Lebanon”.
”If the South African Jewish Board of Deputies was as concerned about the deaths of more than 1 000 innocent Palestinians as they are over a foolish remark of a junior minister, I would take their claims about concern for human rights more seriously.”
In a response, Saks said the two issues were entirely separate: ”Whatever happens in a foreign conflict cannot justify racist attacks against Jews, especially by a government representative.
Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma had not spoken to her deputy Fatima Hajaig over claims of anti-Semitic remarks by late Thursday, but in the meantime issued a statement saying such remarks are against foreign policy.
A statement issued on behalf of Dlamini-Zuma said: ”Minister Dlamini-Zuma wishes to assure the general public that there has not been any change in the South African foreign policy. Accordingly, statements in support of anti-Semitism are not reflective of the South African foreign policy”.
The statement continued: ”South Africa’s foreign policy, guided by the values of our Constitution, has and will always condemn all forms of anti-Semitism and racism wherever it is found and in all its manifestations.”
The Democratic Alliance, meanwhile, has called for Hajaig’s sacking. — Sapa