A tough game lies ahead as South Africa take on New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup final (Photo by PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty Images)
Life is weird. It has the ability to provide you with unconditional joy while, at exactly the same time, it can place you in a position of despair.
We always hear about the crest of a wave that must come down into a trough; the financial and economic markets are said to work like that. But life is not like that, it can have a crest and a trough all at the same time. We do not find this in nature but, somehow, life seems to operate like this. It is what German philosopher Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel described as dialectics — where a thesis and its antithesis exist at the same time.
This last week and a half in South Africa was like that. During most of this period many of us have been sick to our core, as we watched in total despair the developments in Palestine, and yet by the end of the week, as South Africans, many of us are almost delirious with euphoria with the South African rugby team beating the French on Sunday night in the quarterfinals of the Rugby World Cup at the Stade de France in Paris.
The despair is exacerbated by the lack of decisive intervention by global leaders to stop the killing of innocent Palestinian civilians. Such that, as South Africans, we had to switch off our minds from what I can only describe as the deliberate murder of Palestinians living in Gaza City, as close to genocide that I could imagine.
As we watched the game, and especially when the final whistle went, we lost our minds. But for me, as I celebrated I felt that little bit of guilt and a twinge of despair within my joy, because I know that many in Palestine, even if they are not in Gaza, are suffering. Dr Omar Barghouti, one of the founders of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, normally would be sending messages of congratulations to South Africa for participating in what many are calling the greatest rugby match ever. But he is not able to share in our celebration and I do not expect him to.
We are told that every cloud has a silver lining, but life seems to be a lot more cynical, and every silver lining seems to have thunder clouds. We cannot shake off the despair, even when we have reason to celebrate.
All in South Africa want the Springboks to go on to beat England in the World Cup semi-finals and also beat whoever they face in the finals. We will celebrate and scream with ecstasy, but life will not stand still for the majority of us. Our lives of unemployment, inequality, poverty and sickeningly weak, ineffectual political leadership will continue, regardless how Siya Kolisi and the boys fare in France.
Unfortunately, this is not just true for South Africans, but also for the world over. If France had won the quarter-finals, it would not have made the lives of people living in Mali or Niger any better. France would not have changed its oppressive policies and its deliberate meddling in those countries’ governance and economies.
Palestinians in Gaza might have heard about the Afghanistan cricket team beating England in a group match of the Cricket World Cup but that did nothing to stop the murderous intent of President Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli government to block life-saving humanitarian aid for Palestinians living in Gaza City, if Hamas does not give up Israeli hostages.
Our world is honestly crying out for leadership — and not just South Africa. The response by most governments the world over to the killing of civilians has been substandard and inconsistent. All were quick to condemn Hamas for their targeting of civilians, correctly so. But they are noticeably lukewarm when the Israeli military is bombing Gaza City — as if there are no civilians living in Gaza!
The Israeli lobby in our country has gone into overdrive. They have been holding rallies in support of Israel, like it is under attack, so that they can legitimise their actions with regard to Gaza. And we can expect the various Palestinian solidarity movements to host public events.
Despite the division on this matter within the country we must cautiously commend the South African government, especially President Cyril Ramaphosa and Minister of International Relations Naledi Pandor, who have been braver and more courageous than leaders of very many other governments. They are among a minority of non-Arab leaders who have not only condemned the attacks on civilians but also been clear in their support for the Palestinian liberation struggle and spoken against the violent reaction of the Israeli government and military.
Our government has openly called for a ceasefire and for Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
If ever we needed to be reminded about how weak the global multilateral system is with the UN at the helm, this is the occasion. The UN is powerless to intervene decisively. The reality is that it is a body that operates under the say-so of the five permanent members, the US, Russia, France, the UK and China.
And the truth is that all of them, except China, are scared to take Israel to task because of the internal political considerations in their own countries. And, as for China, it does not regard the Palestinian matter as significant enough for it to jeopardise its relations with its fellow security council permanent members.
The UN should be putting together a peacekeeping force and entering Gaza to protect Palestinians from being wiped off the face of the planet. But they cannot do that, because the matter will not be discussed in the security council, and if it is, we can expect any action directed at Israel will be vetoed, at the very least, by the US.
For the uninitiated, please know that the UN General Assembly decisions have no force and do not need to be implemented — it is only security council decisions that must be implemented.
In 1994, a genocide occurred in Rwanda and the secretary general of the UN apologised that they did nothing when the killings began. I wonder what will be the excuse today, as a veritable “genocide” is taking place in Gaza!
Donovan E Williams is a social commentator