SABJ: Pandor's Hamas call 'dragging SA into dangerous waters'
The South African Jewish Board of Deputies says International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor’s phone call with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has dragged South Africa into very dangerous waters.
The department on Tuesday confirmed Pandor’s call with Haniyeh amid reports that she expressed support for the group amid its conflict with Israel.
The call came some 11 days after the Hamas militants burst through Israel's heavily fortified Gaza border, shooting, stabbing and burning to death more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians.
Israel has responded with withering air strikes that have killed more than 2,700 people, mainly civilians. It has also imposed a crippling siege on Gaza and deployed tens of thousands of troops to the border in preparation for a full-scale ground offensive.
SABJD National Director Wendy Kahn says the minister has already chosen a side in the war.
"The Hamas Charter has, as its fundamental principle, the destruction of Jews and the Jewish State. According to Hamas, Minister Pandor expressed support for its surprise attack on Israel in which Hamas targeted civilians and took hostages.
"She has engaged with an Islamist Jihadist Organisation and, in so doing, has dragged our country into very dangerous waters."
The department’s spokesperson, Clayson Monyela, earlier said the minister received a request to call Haniyeh to discuss the provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
"During the call, Minister Pandor reiterated South Africa’s solidarity and support for the people of Palestine and expressed sadness and regret for the loss of innocent lives, both Palestinians and Israelis.
"Minister Pandor and the Hamas leader discussed how to get the necessary humanitarian aid to Gaza and other parts of the Palestinian Territories."
Monyela has refuted media reports that Pandor pledged support to Hamas.
"The reports that Minister Pandor also offered support for the ‘Battle of Al-Aqsa Flood’ are untrue and meant to impugn the minister and the government of South Africa. Minister Pandor's call with the Hamas leader is in line with South Africa's readiness to engage all interlocutors as part of facilitating dialogue to end the ongoing conflict."
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