A letter has been published in The Guardian in response to an article that drew parallels between Nelson Mandela’s struggles against apartheid and the Palestinian cause. Only the second half of the letter from HR Managing Editor Simon Plosker appeared. Here is the submitted letter in full:
There is much that Nelson Mandela can teach the world. Palestinians, however, are abusing the legacy of Mandela for their own anti-Israel political agenda and cheap propaganda. (Palestinians draw parallels with Mandela’s anti-apartheid struggle) How can the same people who see nothing morally wrong in the intentional murder and suicide bombing of Israeli women and children in cafes and on buses have the gall to claim Mandela as one of their own?
Mandela preached reconciliation for South Africans while the Palestinian leadership preaches incitement and hatred towards Israel. Calling Israel an “apartheid state” is an insult to the millions of black South Africans who suffered under that system. South Africa can be grateful that a man of Mandela’s stature came to lead its people to a better future. Sadly there has never been a “Palestinian Mandela.” Having produced morally reprehensible leaders of the calibre of Yasser Arafat and Hamas, no wonder the Palestinians find themselves in their current predicament.
