The Israeli press paid tribute to Nelson Mandela today, Dec. 6, in much the same manner as other media outlets around the world, recounting his lifelong struggle and achievements. The Israeli news site Ynet republished extracts of his autobiography, recently translated into Hebrew. What was missing, though, was any mention of the complex relations that existed between Mandela and Israel.
Perhaps the Israeli editors felt that the time was not right for such an analysis. Grief takes over all other sentiments, as it should, especially when it comes to Mandela — a personal hero to us all. Having been posted in South Africa as an Israeli journalist for over two years, following the evolution of the new nation, I believe that this relationship, with all its various tones and shades, make up a part of Mandela's heritage and a lesson not to be forgotten.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry asserted this morning that its ambassador in Pretoria, Arthur Lenk, will represent the state of Israel at the numerous ceremonies following Mandela's death. It has not been decided yet whether any Israeli politician will travel to South Africa for the occasion. The debate is understandable. Since the first free elections in South Africa in 1994, few Israeli ministers and politicians have visited the country. The same holds true for South African ministers coming to Israel, especially over the last year, following a call by South African Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana Mashabane to stop such visits and to curtail relations with Jerusalem.
Israel and South Africa have had longstanding relations since the establishment of the Jewish state. South Africa was one of the first to recognize the young country, and both countries have maintained diplomatic relations to some degree throughout the years. These relations were colored to a great extent by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and by Israel's relations with the Arab world. In addition, Israel was the only Western country to maintain contact with Pretoria in the '80s (a relationship known as the "pariahs' alliance") and was allegedly involved, according to foreign sources, in South Africa's nuclear project and arms sales.
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