Consistency and inconsistency in the foreign policy of the Republic of South Africa towards Israel

• Published date: 01 December 2022
• Author: Makhura B. Rapanyane
• Date: 01 December 2022
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2746

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Consistency and inconsistency in the foreign policy of the

Republic of South Africa towards Israel

Makhura B. Rapanyane

Department of Political Studies and

International Relations, North-West

University, Mafikeng, South Africa

Correspondence

Makhura B. Rapanyane, Department of

Political Studies and International Relations,

North-West University, Mafikeng,

South Africa.

Email: makhurabenjamin2@gmail.com

Abstract

The subject of South Africa-Israel relations has always been a considerable scholarly

topic that is amongst the ongoing academic and policy makers' debates. This is

because of the uncertainties and confusion that exists in South Africa's foreign policy

stance on Israel in the contemporary period. In this secondary data-based research

article, the author analyses the historical relations between South Africa and Israel

with Palestine in question. The central aim is to analyse the consistencies and incon-

sistencies historically and contemporarily shown by South Africa's foreign policy

towards Israel. The article looked at the pre-and post-apartheid governments' foreign

policy positions. The author argued that there is no gainsaying that South Africa had

good relations with Israel during apartheid. These relations only became unstable

when South Africa adopted democracy, but scholars still observe a lot of uncer-

tainties on South Africa's Israeli foreign policy stance, particularly in the context of

Palestine in question. This is especially in economic and political links which still exist

between the two countries. Afrocentricity as a theoretical lens has been adopted.

The results show that whilst the pre-democratic apartheid government enjoyed good

relations with Israel; the new democratic government has continuously had unstable

relations with Israel. The article concluded that whilst the African National Congress

(ANC) government is policy conflicted on relations with Israel; it though enjoys eco-

nomic engagement with their so-called internationally condemned apartheid Israel.

The initial recommendation made was that the new democratic ANC government

should make a firm policy stance on Israel to clear any policy confusion.

KEYWORDS

consistency, foreign policy, inconsistency, Israel, South Africa

1|INTRODUCTION

This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the consistencies

and inconsistencies that have historically and contemporarily been

shown by South Africa's foreign policy towards Israel. In doing so, the

article sought to explain the realities and myths surrounding the posi-

tion of South Africa concerning the ongoing Middle East conflict that

involves Israel and Palestine. There is considerable literature on the

state of South Africa-Israel relations since the establishment of

diplomatic relations in 1948. This is particularly the time when

South Africa was still under apartheid. The article, therefore, shows

that Israel had enjoyed good relations with apartheid South Africa

until the latter adopted democracy in 1994. Then the relations of

South Africa and Israel became unstable as Former South African

President Nelson Mandela envisioned a new South Africa that

endorsed democracy and human rights together with the preservation

of respect and justice for international law. The same principles had

guided the administration of former South African President Thabo

Received: 20 April 2021 Revised: 25 July 2021 Accepted: 4 August 2021

DOI: 10.1002/pa.2746

J Public Affairs. 2022;22(Suppl. 1):e2746. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pa © 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. 1of9

https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2746