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South Africa Has Launched Another Effort to Attack Israel; Will It Ever Be Enough?
Anti-Israel protesters march through the streets of the township of Lenasia in Johannesburg, South Africa, Oct. 6, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ihsaan Haffejee
It’s hard to express the extent of the disappointment that the Jewish community of South Africa have held towards the elected government of our country since October 7, 2023.
Despite rumors to the contrary, South Africa (or at least Johannesburg, the main Jewish city in the country) is still one of the easiest, safest places on Earth to live as a proud Jew — but you would be excused for thinking the worst based on the words and actions of our so-called leaders.
President Cyril Ramaphosa and his party, the African National Congress (ANC), have betrayed not just South Africa’s loyal Jewish community, but the very ideals on which post-Apartheid South Africa was formed: ideals crafted by the ANC itself under the exceptional stewardship of Nelson Mandela.
Immediately following Hamas’ unspeakably barbaric attack on Israel, the ANC’s minister of the department of international relations and cooperation (DIRCO) — Naledi Pandor — phoned the leaders of Hamas to offer her support. South Africa also took Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on patently false charges of genocide.
To no one’s surprise, South Africa is now spear-heading a brand new anti-Israel initiative called The Hague Group.
Joining South Africa in The Hague Group are the governments of Malaysia, Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Honduras, Malaysia, and Namibia — all of which either have terrible human rights records of their own or, like South Africa, are so plagued by the likes of corruption and sky-high violent crime rates that it’s rather difficult to believe that the whole thing is anything but a cynical ploy to divert attention from their own countries’ woes.
It becomes increasingly difficult to give The Hague Group any benefit of the doubt, as its blatant one-sidedness and single-mindedness makes it clear that though its goals may be crouched in human rights, international law, and democracy, they are anything but noble.
It would be one thing if it was set up to enforce international law and UN resolutions against not just Israel, but against all countries across the globe — for example, if it was about protecting the Uyghurs in China, the Ukranians from Putin’s Russia or the women of Iran from the Islamic Republic, as well as advocating for the Palestinian people.
But obviously it has no interest in other conflicts or any actual genocides; the whole effort is only an attempt to demonize and destroy Israel.
There are obviously precisely zero references to the events of October 7th or even Hamas in any of The Hague Group’s writings. There is also no mention of the influence of the Islamic Republic, the Palestinian Authority’s “Pay-for-Slay” program, the use of Palestinian civilians as human shields, or the constant barrage of rocket attacks from the Islamic Republic’s direct proxies in Hezbollah and the Houthis.
When South African President Ramaphosa proudly announced the formation of The Hague Group at the end of February, he once again doubled down on laying all the blame for the current war and the whole conflict squarely at the feet of Israel.
But then, none of this was unexpected. This is a political party and leadership that directly phoned Hamas after October 7. And it’s the very same ruling party that has rolled out the red carpet for members of Hamas, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Russia, and war criminals like Vladimir Putin and Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese president charged with effectively orchestrating the actual genocide in South Sudan.
No surprise, then, that the launch of The Hague group was attended by a who’s who of anti-Israel individuals and groups, including the likes of NGOs Al-Haq and Al-Mezan, both of which have ties to radical Islamism and include members linked to Hamas and the Popular Front of the Liberation of Palestine. As for Progressive International, the parent organization of The Hague Group, it includes numerous extreme far-left groups like Code Pink, Students for Justice in Palestine, Arab Resource & Organizing Center (AROC), Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), and Momentum (UK), whose demonizations of Israel and praise for radical Islamist extremists would take too long to catalogue here.
To reiterate, South Africa is still a good place to live as a Jew. It’s just a place with a government, or at least a ruling party, that never misses an opportunity to squander any and all good will that comes their way. Some of it is incompetence. Some of it is corruption. And some of it, as in the case of The Hague Group, is about Soviet-era alliances that are as obsolete as they are dangerous — which is why the ANC has little shame about betraying the many South African Jews who joined the struggle against Apartheid and helped create a new South Africa. It also explains why South Africa is currently realigning the whole country with despotic regimes that represent the very opposite of the liberal-democratic ideals encapsulated in our constitution.
Of course, none of this will be of any help whatsoever to actual Palestinians — but for South Africa’s leaders, that’s besides the point.
Ilan Preskovsky is a freelance features writers, film critic and columnist whose work can most frequently be found on South Africa’s biggest news site, News24, and across a wide variety of local and international publications, both Jewish and otherwise.
The post South Africa Has Launched Another Effort to Attack Israel; Will It Ever Be Enough? first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Toronto Film Festival CEO Apologizes Again for Canceling, Then Rescheduling Screening of Oct. 7 Documentary
Skyline of Toronto, Canada. Photo Credit: Aaron Davis, Wikimedia Commons, June 2020.
The CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has apologized again for the festival’s decision to cancel and then reschedule the screening of a documentary about the Hamas-led terrorist attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
“I want to apologize for any hurt, frustration, or disappointment that our communication about the film has caused, and for any mischaracterizations that have taken root,” Cameron Bailey said at a pre-festival event on Wednesday, according to The Canadian Press. “We’re working now — and we will be for a while — to clarify things and to repair relationships.”
Bailey made the comments during his first public appearance since the festival stirred controversy last week when it removed the documentary “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue” from its official lineup of films. Directed by Canadian filmmaker Barry Avrich, the documentary recounts how retired Israeli Army general Noam Tibon traveled from his home in Tel Aviv to the Nahal Oz kibbutz to rescue his son and his family from Hamas terrorists during the Oct. 7 attack. The film combines news interviews with footage from the deadly massacre.
Bailey said on Wednesday that TIFF originally wanted to showcase the film out of “a desire to share a painful but important story with audiences who choose to witness it,” as reported by The Canadian Press. “That commitment to challenging, relevant screen storytelling remains strong,” he added.
Festival organizers pulled the film last week because of issues with “legal clearance of all footage.” The move sparked widespread outrage from Jewish groups, entertainment industry leaders, and politicians. In response, Bailey apologized on Aug. 13 for disinviting the film and said TIFF was committed to working with the filmmakers to meet the festival’s screening requirements.
The next day, Bailey and Avrich announced in a joint statement that the film has officially rejoined the festival. They reached a resolution that clears up “important safety, legal, and programming concerns” regarding the film after hearing “pain and frustration” from the public, according to their statement.
“TIFF’s communication around [the film’s] requirements did not clearly articulate the concerns and roadblocks that arose and for that, we are sorry,” Bailet and Avrich said. “Both TIFF and the filmmakers have always been committed to presenting diverse perspectives and a belief in the power of storytelling to spark and encourage dialogue and understanding. We thank our audiences and community for their passion, honesty and belief in the importance of film.”
“The Road Between Us” is now slated to make its world premiere at TIFF on Sept. 10 at the Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. Tickets go on sale for the public on Monday. TIFF will run from Sept. 4-14.
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Arizona Man Charged With Threatening Synagogues to Take Out ‘Jew Government’
Kevin Charles Pyles, 32, Glendale, Arizona, man accused of threatening violence against Jews. Photo: Screenshot.
Law enforcement officials in Arizona have arraigned a man from city of Glendale who is accused of threatening to commit antisemitic hate crimes and mass casualty events, according to local media reports.
Over four months, Kevin Charles Pyles, 32, declared to his social media followers that he hates Jews, people of color, and the state of Israel, adding that he believes the US is a “Jew government.” As Pyles’ delusions grew, so did his ambitions, and before long threatened to detonate explosives outside the local Sha’arei Shalom Congregation synagogue by shooting propane tanks.
According to a CBS affiliate, the disturbing tirades caught the attention of the Secure Community Network (SCN) — a nonprofit organization which partners with law enforcement to promote safety and thwart imminent threats to the Jewish community — which reported Pyles to Phoenix police.
“This is very painful. It’s not right to do that,” Rabbi Pinhas Nisanov of Sha’arei Shalom Congregation told KTVK-3TV in a statement. “We have to respect each, and each other, even other religions.”
In another statement to the outlet, Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz of Arizona Jews for Justice said, “Hatred is growing and antisemitism is growing, and we all have to call it out wherever we see it. Wherever we see stereotypes and bias and hate, we have to call it out.”
Antisemitic activity across the country continues to challenge a once ironclad consensus that the US is a safe haven for the Jewish people.
On Monday, a telecenter operator who was, until Tuesday, employed by Fidelity Investments launched a volley of antisemitic insults at a Jewish journalist via social media after learning that her children attend a summer camp which fosters pride in Zionism.
“F—k you and f—k your kid who goes to Nazi summer camp!” Danielle Gordon, the now-former employee, wrote to Bethany Mandel, author and contributor to the “Mom Wars” Substack. “Free Palestine from you sick f—ks!”
The exchange began when Mandel publicly discussed the presence of a paraglider over the camp’s property which, due to lingering trauma caused by the memory of the use of paragliders in Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel — which preceded an explosion of antisemitic incidents across the US — appeared to pose an imminent security threat. Gordon seemingly took umbrage at Mandel’s concern for Jewish life and the lives of her children, and hastily fired off the messages from an account which listed her legal name.
“I found it troubling that she sent such antisemitic vitriol when she’s just a working class, college educated white woman living in Denver — that is how far this rot has spread,” Mandel told The Algemeiner on Monday after her sharing of Gordon’s messages amassed over a million views on X. “Antisemitism has become normative discourse for people of her demographic.”
Mandel continued, “That word, Zionist, triggered her very much, and she had no qualms about coming at me, coming at my kids … There should be consequences for talking like this.”
This incident came just weeks after another sudden outburst of hatred against Jews.
Earlier this month, Eden Deckerhoff — a female student at Florida State University (FSU) — allegedly assaulted a Jewish male classmate at the Leach Student Recreation Center after noticing his wearing apparel issued by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
“F—k Israel, Free Palestine. Put it [the video] on Barstool FSU. I really don’t give a f—k,” the woman said before shoving the man, according to video taken by the victim. “You’re an ignorant son of a b—h.” Deckerhoff has since been charged with misdemeanor battery.
According to the Tallahassee Democrat, Deckerhoff has denied assaulting the student when questioned by investigators, telling them, “No I did not shove him at all; I never put my hands on him.” However, law enforcement charged her with misdemeanor battery and described the incident in court documents as seen in viral footage of the incident, acknowledging that Deckerhoff “appears to touch [the man’s] left shoulder.” Despite her denial, the Democrat noted, she has offered to apologize.
Days later, an unknown person or group graffitied swastikas and other hateful messages on the grounds of the Israeli-American Council’s (IAC) national headquarters in Los Angeles, underscoring the severity of the antisemitism crisis in the US.
“F—k Jews,” one cluster of graffiti said.
“BDS,” the message added, referring to the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement against Israel.
The wave of hate follows a pattern of year-on-year surges in acts of anti-Jewish bigotry.
In 2024, according to newly released FBI statistics, hate crimes perpetrated against Jews increased by 5.8 percent to 1,938, the largest total recorded in over 30 years of the FBI’s counting them. Jewish American groups noted that this surge, which included 178 assaults, is being experienced by a demographic group which constitutes just 2 percent of the US population.
A striking 69 percent of all religion-based hate crimes that were reported to the FBI in 2024 targeted Jews, with 2,041 out of 2,942 total such incidents being antisemitic in nature. Muslims were targeted the next highest amount as the victims of 256 offenses, or about 9 percent of the total.
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
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Netanyahu Says Israel to Begin Gaza Ceasefire Negotiations to End War, Release Hostages
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the US Independence Day reception, known as the annual “Fourth of July” celebration, hosted by Newsmax, in Jerusalem, Aug. 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he had directed the immediate initiation of negotiations for the release of all hostages in Gaza and the conclusion of the war there on terms acceptable to Israel.