LETTER: Courting Hamas could backfire

You recently carried two articles in the same edition, one by Richard Pithouse the other by Ivo Vegter (“Liberal aporia and the Palestinian question” and “Africa: the new front line against jihadi terror”, November 20).

The former castigated Western liberalism for its hypocrisy; the latter warned of Africa’s vulnerability to militant Islamic extremism.

Pithouse sees liberalism’s most hypocritical moment in JS Mill’s sanction of despotism as a legitimate way of governing barbarians, as African and some other peoples were classified by white Westerners two centuries and more ago.

He asserts that liberalism still discriminates in valuing human lives: Palestinians and Haitians are seen as having lesser weight than established Western-styled citizenry.

Because Israel is a sophisticated, technologically advanced and economically viable state, Pithouse concludes that it is favoured by America and liberals such as Frans Cronje (“The war in Gaza and the stark test it demands of liberal democrats”, November 14).

The implication is that such a mindset sees Palestinians as “others”, with a status similar to barbarian, even though it would not admit to this. The moral high ground is then occupied by such groups, whose values, motivations and legitimacy are not recognised by liberals, clogged down in moral low ground.

In effect, this article points a finger at a group — liberals — and questions their moral authority. The implication is that their defence of Israel and response to Hamas’ actions are tainted with liberal hypocrisy. 

The sheer barbarity, brutality and cruelty of Hamas’ invasion on October 7 is overlooked: after all, assertions about others’ moral credentials demand so much more attention. But they do not; October 7 was a manifestation of uncontrolled anger and hate, an act of genocide far more obvious than those alleging the same by Israel.

That the ANC can stand with Hamas and cite Israel for war crimes and not Hamas, is unconscionable and ridiculous. Vegter’s analysis of the rising presence and influence of jihadist fundamentalist groups in Africa has relevance in this context.

From the time of Boko Haram’s kidnapping of hundreds of Nigerian girls nine years ago to the more recent cases of terror and murder by other jihadist groups in Mozambique, a spread of such terrorist networks across Africa has become evident.

With its puritanical, patriarchal and primitive agenda, with a modus operandi of terror to enforce compliance, this is a return to barbarism. Though the ANC may be supporting Hamas so keenly owing to its view that Israel is an apartheid state, to overlook and perhaps condone Hamas’ methods reveals a seriously blind spot.

What makes this more worrying is the fact that SA carries millions of unemployed, disempowered and disaffected youth who see no solution in what the ANC has to offer.

Courting Hamas could open a door that may be difficult to close — and with our track record you can be sure no country with the means to assist us will have the appetite to do so. You have to sleep in the bed you make.

Roger Graham
Meadowridge

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