Disappointment in South Africa
Op-ed: Anti-Israel activists on South Africa campuses making cynical use of country's racist past
In recent years we have witnessed the spreading of anti-Israel activism on university campuses around the world, which included attempts to associate Israel and its security policy with the Apartheid regime in South Africa between 1948-1994. Surprisingly, these activists are getting international media attention despite the fact that they did not witness the cruelty of the Apartheid regime in South Africa and have never visited Israel.
Last week, the Students’ Representative Council of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, known as Wits, declared an academic and cultural boycott of Israel in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle.
Last year, as part of a program by launched by What Israel, I visited the university along with a group of 22 Israeli students and academics representing a wide spectrum of Zionist political views (from Meretz and the National Union). The participants were not sponsored by any political, governmental or academic organization and paid for their own airline tickets. The purpose of the visit, which was planned and executed by the South African Union of Jewish Students (SAUJS), was to introduce the South African students to Israeli students, create an open discussion about the regional challenges and give the students an opportunity for a first authentic encounter and exchange of ideas.
Shortly after our arrival we realized that it was naïve on our part to assume that such authentic dialogue could be achieved. We faced a small but noisy orchestra, although poorly organized – with a sole purpose of preventing our freedom of speech. They not only protested against our presence but also provocatively interrupted our activity and conversations with local students, who had actually showed real interest in speaking with us.
To our surprise, the campus leaders of this hostile activity were not students, but rather members of anti-Israeli organizations affiliated with the Palestinian Solidarity Committee (PSC), supported by the umbrella movement Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) in South Africa. The fact that they do not accept the right to self determination for the Jewish People and consider the two-state solution racial and unjust – does not room for interpretation. Clearly, they do not promote a solution which both the Israelis and Palestinians can benefit from, but rather focus on trying to turn Israel into a pariah state.
Their success depends on manipulating as many students as possible into believing that they are fighting for the justice of the Palestinian people.
It was deeply disappointing to see that South Africa, which worked so hard to leave behind its cruel racial system behind and has been dedicating the past two decades to build a strong nation, with values of tolerance, freedom of speech and pluralism, is now being held captive by a radical group that promotes haltered. It is absurd that the same group that promotes hatred and prevents real discourse about the Israeli – Palestinian conflict is preaching about human rights and freedom of speech.
Unfortunately, Israel’s image is being tarnished, with more and more people buying into biased narratives that create false impressions about the Jewish state and its people.
Despite these small, yet destructive groups, I found an active Jewish presence on South African campuses. I met non-Jewish students who were open and curious to hear the "other side of the story," and I met people who were deeply offended by the fact that cynical use is being made of their traumatic history for political purposes. I met students who do not appreciate being manipulated. For their sake, we must balance the discourse and deliver truth to the campuses.
I believe that the State of Israel and the South African Jewish community should join forces and combat misinformation and anti-Israel propaganda. In the spirit of What Israel’s slogan, "Build bridges – not boycott," we believe that both sides should invest in increasing student activity, strengthening academic ties between universities in Israel and South Africa and building bridges and relationships with the silent majority.
Maya Sharon is the co-founder of What Israel, an organization specializing in the field of public diplomacy. You can find out more about What Israel on their Facebook page
