What would you tell a guy that says the following?
I am not a White South African, so I never experienced what
it's like to be a member of the apartheid crowd.
I am not a Black South African, so I never experienced what
it's like to live under an apartheid regime.
I am not a Palestinian, so I don't know what it's like to be
born under occupation and be forced to love it or expect to be killed under one
fake pretext or another.
But I am an American Jew, and I was born knowing more things
than all these people put together.
Well, if you heard someone say that, you would tell him to
go screw himself; would you not? I am glad you agree. And this is what you
should be saying to David May who wrote an article under the title: “South
Africa Adds to Its Long Record of Israel-Bashing,” published on May 30, 2018 in
the Weekly Standard.
David May makes it clear he is unhappy with the African
National Congress (ANC) because he says there is a resemblance between it when
it was fighting to end apartheid, and the government of Israel that is
currently fighting to end the apartheid imposed on the Jews by the
Palestinians. C'mon, you must be saying to yourself, no animal, let alone human
being is so diminished as to entertain such thought.
If that's what you think, here are David May's words: “South
Africa recalled its ambassador to Israel to condemn the violent aggression
carried out by Israeli armed forces along the Gaza border … At first, it may
seem strange that South Africa is so deeply committed to defending the actions
of a [freedom fighting] organization, given its own struggle to overcome the
violent racism of the apartheid regime.” Are you convinced now?
If you want to know why David May exploded with such rage,
here is his reason: “Hamas admitted that 50 of the 62 Palestinians killed were
members of the organization upending South Africa 's claim that more than
40 were civilians.” And here is the full story of what happened during the
encounter when 62 unarmed Palestinians were murdered in cold blood by the
Israeli army:
Of those who died, 12 were journalists, mothers, children
and ordinary citizens not affiliated with any political group. The remaining 50
were members of Hamas; some of whom might have been combatants but even they
were not armed. They demonstrated using placards or the occasional slingshot;
nothing more lethal than that.
But David May wants us to believe that every member of Hamas
– journalists, women, children, doctors and engineers – are soldiers engaged in
the armed struggle against the Israeli occupation. This is like saying that
every Zionist is an ethnic cleansing murderer engaged in the annihilation of
the Palestinian people.
In any case, all that aside, David May goes on to say that
South Africa has given up a great deal to stand with the Palestinians instead
of standing with Israel .
It is because South Africa
has been plagued with the anti-Semitic canard for a long time, he goes on to
say. Here is how he put it:
“South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has been in office
three months, but his record on the issue predates his time in office. His
predecessor Jacob Zuma hosted a delegation from Hamas. Zuma also recalled the
ambassador to Israel in
2010, and pressured ANC and opposition leaders to abstain from traveling to Israel . The ANC
has demonstrated institutional hostility toward Israel ”.
The result, he says, is that South
Africa is undermining Israel 's
efforts to build relationships in Africa at a
time when African leaders seek to benefit from Israeli technology and
innovation. What David May omitted was that the African leaders took one look
at Israeli innovations, and when they saw nothing, determined that what they
need are things they can see and touch, not things they only hear about.
Undeterred, David May, goes on to rail against South Africa .
Here is what else he said:
“South
Africa is also a leading proponent of the
BDS campaign. South African officials are prepared to impose hardship on their
own citizens. Even though Cape Town is facing a
severe water crisis, South
Africa has rejected Israeli offers of
assistance. Israel
is a world leaders in water solutions. Despite Israel 's
offer to provide its expertise, South Africa
accused Israel
of 'water apartheid' and endorsed BDS”.
Do you know what this is about, my friend? It's about
Israeli solutions to water shortages. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Jews stole
water from Lebanon and Syria ,
leading to the 1967 war. When they occupied the West Bank up to the Jordan
River, they stole Jordan 's
water from its own river. When they dried up this source, they started stealing
the water that belongs to the Palestinians. And so, when the South Africans
looked at Israel 's
innovations in water thievery, they said: Thanks, but no thanks.
Now, my friend, guess what criminals do when they fail to
have it their way? They blackmail, of course. And this is exactly what David
May has done on behalf of Israel .
See for yourself:
“When an ambassador to South Africa is appointed, and when
U.S. leaders meet with their South African counterparts, they should press for
an end to Pretoria's relations with Hamas and an end to the ANC's statements
about Israel, including apartheid. They should remind South African leaders
that U.S.
law is unwavering in its opposition to BDS. This could have a deleterious
effect on a future bilateral free trade agreement with the United States ”.