South African MP Asks Forgiveness for South African Government’s Case Against Israel

By Aryeh Stern

​​​A special meeting was held in the Knesset on Tuesday between Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and a delegation from South Africa consisting of religious leaders and politicians. In the meeting, MP Marie Sukers said that on behalf of the South African people, she asked Israel’s forgiveness for the measures that the South African government had taken in the context of the case filed with the International Court of Justice. She said that these opinions and actions did not represent the South African people. “The Christian community, which is the largest in South Africa, supports you and stands by you, and you have many friends in our country,” said Sukers.

Ohana responded to the words of support by MP Sukers and other delegation members, saying, “The legal action brought against Israel at The Hague was indeed a serious act. We thank you for this important clarification and appreciate your stance. Having visited South Africa myself a few years ago, I can attest to the fact that we also have wonderful friends there and a Jewish community that strongly supports the State of Israel.

“We will not stop the struggle to destroy Hamas’s capabilities. The lives of our residents depend on this struggle — it is not a local struggle, but rather the struggle of the free world, which is represented by Israel in this region, against the forces of darkness and fundamentalism,” said the Knesset Speaker.