Israel Matzav

South African Advertising Standards Authority okays reference to Israel as 'apartheid state'

The South African Advertising Standards Authority has ruled that an advertisement, which refers to Israel as an 'apartheid state' like apartheid South Africa, is not 'untrue,' is not 'unsupported by the evidence,' and does not 'contain a lie that amounts to propaganda.'

This afternoon, in a bold ruling defending the right to freedom of expression and political speech, the South African media watchdog, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), unequivocally dismissed all complaints relating to a radio advert on 5fm that called for the boycott of Israel and compared Israel to Apartheid South Africa.

In February this year, during the South African tour of the international dance band, Faithless, a radio message featuring Dave Randall (lead guitarist of Faithless) was broadcast on the popular SABC radio station, 5fm. The advert was in support of a local group, the South African Artists Against Apartheid collective. In the advert Randall says:

“Hi, I’m Dave Randall from Faithless. Twenty years ago I would not have played in apartheid South Africa; today I refuse to play in Israel. Be on the right side of history. Don’t entertain apartheid. Join the international boycott of Israel. I support southafricanartistsagainstapartheid.com.”

In an official complaint to the ASA, the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) attacked the radio advert and alleged that the view expressed that Israel is an Apartheid State is “untrue, not supported by any evidence… and contains a lie which amounts to false propaganda”.

The SAJBD sought an order requesting the SABC to apologise for broadcasting the radio advert.

Today the ASA dismissed each and every complaint made by the SAJBD against the advert and instead ruled in favor of the submissions made by SA Artists Against Apartheid, who were represented by Webber Wentzel Attorneys. The ASA also refused to provide any sanctions in favor of the SAJBD.

Note that the sign on the apartheid beach at the top of this post is from Durban, South Africa, and not from Tel Aviv. We don't have beaches like that. And this is what our hospitals look like:

Needless to say, the pro-'Palestinian' groups are pleased.

South African Palestine solidarity and human rights groups have celebrated the ASA ruling claiming it as a "legal victory" for the boycott of Israel movement. Fatima Vally from the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Working Group said in a press release:

"This is the second major boycott of Israel decision coming from South Africa in less than six months. The first being the historic decision by the University of Johannesburg to sever its Israeli ties. The boycott of Israel campaign is the new Anti-Apartheid Movement, and its growing rapidly."

What could go wrong?

(Question for the South Africans: Is Reggae DJ Andy Kasrils (quoted in the second-linked post) related to Jewish anti-Semitic cabinet minister Ronnie Kasrils?

Labels: Advertising Standards Authority, apartheid state, Israeli apartheid, Ronnie Kasrils, South Africa

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:14 PM 5 comments

Jewish 'intelligence' minister invites Haniyeh to South Africa

The JPost is reporting this morning that Jewish South African 'intelligence' minister Ronnie Kasrils has invited 'moderate' 'Palestinian President' Ismael Haniyeh to visit South Africa. And that's only the beginning of Red Ronnie's delusions:

Hamas has accepted previous agreements reached between the Palestinian Authority and Israel and has in effect renounced violence, while the Jewish state continues to take measures akin to state terrorism, South Africa's Minister for Intelligence Services Ronnie Kasrils told The Jerusalem Post over the weekend.

The agreements the minister was referring to were actually made between Israel and the PLO.

Furthermore, Kasrils said, he had renewed his invitation to PA Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh to visit South Africa, with, for the first time, the approval of his government in Pretoria.

The move has been widely condemned by the South African Jewish community, as well as by the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem.

...

On Thursday, Kasrils accused Israel of conducting a policy against the Palestinians that was worse than apartheid.

Speaking on the sidelines of a UN meeting in South Africa on the situation in the PA, Kasrils said South Africa's townships had never been attacked by helicopter gunships and tanks, in contrast to IDF actions in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

"The analogy between apartheid and Israel's occupation of Palestine is often made. It is not the same thing. The occupation is absolutely worse," Kasrils told reporters.

"It is important that we tell the Israeli authorities they are behaving like fascists when they do certain things, although we are not calling it a fascist state," he said.

Kasrils, a Jew, and an outspoken critic of Israel, told the Post in an e-mail exchange from Pretoria that Hamas was following a "natural path" from a "resistance movement" to a political party.

Kasrils has just returned to South Africa after spending a week in the PA meeting with government officials, after which he invited Haniyeh to visit Pretoria.

South Africa's Jewish Board of Deputies condemned Kasrils for that invitation, and said in a statement: "Expressing support for an organization whose very founding charter describes the Jewish people as fundamentally evil enemies of humanity and calls for their total annihilation fundamentally contradicts both the ideals of South Africa and of the ruling ANC itself."

Haniyeh has accepted the invitation although no date has been set.

South African blogger It's Almost Supernatural has been all over this story for the past ten days. You should see their posts here, here and here. As always, those who would destroy us come from among us.

Labels: Ismail Haniyeh, Ronnie Kasrils

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:17 AM 0 comments