Israel and Blacks in S. Africa

In his letter (July 7) LeGrand Clegg mentioned that “Israel did not support (Nelson) Mandela’s struggle for freedom.” The reality is quite the opposite. Israel supports and assists blacks in South Africa in their struggle.

Just one example: Very few people know that since 1987, the year in which the government of Israel translated its abhorrence of apartheid into action by approving broad sanctions on commercial trade, cultural, athletic, scientific and other ties with Pretoria, a series of workshops were conducted in South Africa by Israeli experts for the leaders of the black community in Johannesburg and Cape Town. More than 200 of them were trained in a variety of programs, focusing especially on cooperative development and leadership.

Very few people also know that Israel’s assistance to the black African countries and South Africa began in 1958, when Golda Meir, then Israel’s foreign minister, made her first trip to Africa. She returned convinced that it was Israel’s moral obligation to share its hard-won expertise and experience with the people of the developing world and in particular in Africa. She said: “As long as there are spots in the globe where some people are more developed and others less, there is no development, no culture, no freedom and no peace in this world.”

Since then, and unlike many other countries, Israel has been practicing this principle and continues to fulfill Golda Meir’s vision in Africa. Israel is engaged in active cooperation with many countries in Africa in the fields of agriculture, education, community and cooperative development, public health, vocational training for the youth, social work, labor and trade unions, etc.

The assistance effort takes several forms: Israel conducts many courses and seminars whose participants return to their countries to initiate development projects devised in Israel. Israeli experts go overseas to Africa to train and work side by side with people in their villages, fields, farms and hospitals.

Over the years, more than 35,000 Africans went to Israel to be trained in these fields, and more than 25,000 people were trained in “on-the-spot” courses and seminars by more than 9,500 Israeli experts in their home countries. This pattern of technical assistance in nation building continues to this day in Africa and elsewhere in the world.

Israel feels that as a developing nation which has made impressive progress since achieving statehood, it has much to share with fellow developing countries. This assistance continued even during the years in which, following intense pressure and threats from Arab states, relations were unfortunately broken between Israel and some African countries.

Moreover, Israel’s basic belief is that the black community in South Africa is in need of strong and developed leadership which is able to improve the lot of their people. They also need an adequate and self-sustaining infrastructure and, based upon our conviction that apartheid is wrong and must be abolished from the surface of the earth, the people of Israel will continue to assist and to support their quest for full political, social and economic equality.

LLAN MOR

Consul for Press and Information

Consulate General of Israel

Los Angeles