The African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) leader Reverend Kenneth Meshoe has slammed the government of South Africa for condemning Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear sites. Meshoe labelled South Africa’s criticism of Israel as hypocritical accusing Pretoria of having failed to condemn Iranian threats to the Jewish state over the years.
“For decades, the Iranian regime has made it very clear for all the world to know that their ultimate goal is to completely annihilate the State of Israel. Neither South Africa nor the International Community have ever condemned Iran for such reprehensible threats and utterances. It is hypocritical for South Africa to condemn Israel for using pre-emptive strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities when Iran was planning to use them in their annihilation of Israel,” said Meshoe in a statement.
The ACDP believes that no nation has the right to remove another nation from the face of the earth.
Meshoe referenced a UN report he said found to have found Iran to have enriched more uranium than it would need for peaceful purposes and said this posed significant to Israel. He also accused South Africa of giving tacit support to Iran.
“Last week, the United Nations (UN) nuclear watchdog, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), found that Iran was, for the first time in 20 years, in breach of its nuclear obligations. Regrettably, South Africa abstained on the UN vote, despite the fact that Iran’s uranium enrichment process (now at 60%, which is not needed for peaceful nuclear purposes) posed an existential threat to Israel. This is disgraceful, given that South Africa dismantled its nuclear devices and only uses nuclear technology for peaceful purposes,” said Meshoe.
Meshoe whose party has been consistent in its support for Israel said Iran appeared to have been preparing for war when the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu struck.
“Iran’s recent accumulation of highly enriched uranium – a third of which was obtained in the past three months alone – marks a rapid and dangerous escalation of this threat. This, coupled with its ties to regional terror networks and growing military capability, left Israel with no choice but to act decisively,” he said.
Western countries have for years lobbied unsuccessfully for South Africa to cut ties with Iran which many view as a rogue state. There’s also been unproven claims that Iran was funding the ANC’s activities, an allegation flatly denied by the liberation movement which is on record insisting ties with Iran were historical and did not involve any monies.
South Africa has also consistently refused to withdraw the case it is pursuing against Israel in the International Court of Justice in the Hague.