Issued by: Office of the Presidency
2 April 2002
The SA Jewish Board of Deputies has reportely said it is "appalled" at a "one-sided call" by President Thabo Mbeki over the Middle East crisis.
The suggestion is that, while the President had called on Israel to withdraw its forces from Palestine leader Yasser Arafat's Ramallah HQ, he had not condemned the Palestinian suicide bombings which have killed Israeli civilians.
The Board's charge is misdirected.
President Mbeki has, all along, been highly critical of wanton acts of terror perpetrated against civilians, and he was among those who took the lead in making the point after the 11 September atrocities in New York. The ANC, throughout its existence, has respected the distinction between conflict in a just cause aimed primarily at military targets, as happened in South Africa before the collapse of apartheid, and totally unjustified acts of terror aimed specifically at civilians, which it discouraged most severely.
To suggest that, in the current Middle East conflict, the President somehow departed from this position of principle and unfairly criticised one side is as inaccurate as it is unhelpful to the genuine cause of peace. The President's position is in line with responsible world opinion which, virtually unanimously, condemns military attacks by Israel which have resulted in many deaths and have turned the legitimate leader of Palestine
into a hostage in his own territory, but at the same time strongly deplores suicide bombings and other events aimed at sowing terror!ng Israeli citizens.
It is suggested that the Board of Deputies should deploy its energies more resolutely in seeking a peaceful and negotiated end to the current conflict in the Middle East, rather than to misrepresent the President's very clear position on terrorism.
Enquiries: Bheki Khumalo on 083 256 9133