South Africa seeks to limit the damage to its relationship with Washington over a legal challenge to Israel’s attacks on Gaza, a South African official said on Tuesday.
South Africa’s International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor is in Washington seeking to persuade U.S. lawmakers to abandon a proposed law that would further exacerbate U.S. tensions with Africa’s most dynamic democracy and a major mining, banking and manufacturing hub. relation.
“I think there are attempts to take punitive action against South Africa, and this idea of an axis of evil is a big part of the political culture,” Pandor said in response to questions from VOA at the South African embassy in Washington.
December, South Africa submit application Filed lawsuit against Israel before the United Nations Supreme Court. Pretoria believes that Israel’s actions in Gaza are “genocidal in nature” and are aimed at “the elimination of the Palestinians in Gaza.”
In March, South Africa asked the International Court of Justice to take further steps, accusing Israel of weaponizing hunger by preventing humanitarian aid from reaching the blockaded enclave.
The Israeli government has condemned the case, and the White House told VOA in January it considered the case “baseless.”
The case inspired a bipartisan push for legislation in the U.S. Congress calling for a comprehensive review of bilateral relations with South Africa. The bill, filed by Republican Rep. John James and Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz, claims the actions of South Africa’s long-ruling African National Congress are “inconsistent with its avowed policy of non-alignment in international affairs.”
“South Africa has been building ties with countries and actors that undermine U.S. national security and threaten our way of life, through military and political cooperation with China and Russia and support for Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization,” James said in a statement when he introduced the bill in February. “We have to look at our alliances and get rid of those who are still willing to work with our adversaries.”
Pandor, who also met with think tanks and spoke publicly while in Washington, said she intended to remind members of Congress of the value of South Africa itself and as a gateway to the continent.
“We believe that any action that weakens the relationship between the two countries is most unwise,” she said in response to another question from VOA. “Because these are the two leading democracies in our region.”
She said she believed the relationship between the United States and South Africa could help promote peace and democracy on the continent and support Africa’s development agenda, “because I can’t imagine how initiatives aimed at expanding trade and development could work without leveraging South Africa’s institutions.” capacity, the project will become operational.”
South Africa is also a major beneficiary of this policy African Growth and Opportunity Act, providing duty-free access to the U.S. market for 32 African countries. Congress must vote on whether to extend the program beyond 2025.
VOA asked Pandor whether the high-risk diplomatic pushback was worth it.
“What I know is that if there is a struggle going on, the longer it takes to resolve the demands of the struggle, the more violent and vicious the struggle becomes,” she responded. “So the sooner peace and negotiation issues are resolved, the greater the chance that everyone will enjoy peace and security. This is the lesson for South Africa.”
VOA asked analyst Jon Altman, director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, whether the South African case had played a role in stemming the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
“I don’t think South Africa has redefined the conflict. I don’t think South Africa has really changed direction at the moment,” he said. “But there’s a thread that runs through it all – concerns about South Africa’s history make it particularly sensitive to issues of discrimination and genocide. … It certainly adds an element to the conversation that wasn’t there until South Africa was pushing it so aggressively.” .”
Pandor, a senior member of the long-ruling African National Congress, stressed that Pretoria’s problem was not with the White House. She told VOA she was not seeking a meeting with President Joe Biden or Secretary of State Antony Blinken during her visit to Washington.
“This executive understands [South Africa] Far more than Congress,” she said.
When asked what she would tell Biden, Pandor’s answer was brief.
“Ceasefire,” she said. “Now.”
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