South Africa’s Ronnie Kasrils: Hamas Sought Lessons from Our Struggle

Cape Town (Quds News Network)- Ronnie Kasrils, South Africa’s renowned Jewish anti-apartheid leader and former intelligence minister, shared insights into Hamas’s interest in South Africa’s liberation experience. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Kasrils explained how Hamas leaders, including Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Meshaal, engaged with South Africa to learn from its fight against oppression.

Kasrils highlighted Hamas’s curiosity about uniting diverse groups in a shared struggle. “The question, which I found them very interested in because of my Jewish background, was how we managed in South Africa to recruit white people, a minority of whites, but it was important to recruit them into our struggle; people like myself, Joe Slovo, Ruth First, and others, supporting the freedom charter,” he said. Hamas aimed to adapt these lessons to foster global solidarity against a common adversary.

Kasrils emphasized the significance of this solidarity, adding that millions worldwide, including Jews in the US, oppose Zionism and support Palestinians, which strengthens the fight against Western imperialism.

Kasrils reflected on his work with Egypt’s late intelligence chief Omar Suleiman. Despite repeated meetings, Kasrils described Suleiman as “stubborn and uncooperative” regarding Gaza. “He told me, ‘The doors to Gaza are open for you,’ yet he obstructed aid convoys led by figures like George Galloway,” Kasrils revealed.

Countering Mossad’s Influence

Kasrils shared his stance against Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. Upon taking office, he distanced South Africa’s intelligence operations from Mossad, disrupting their plans. “Mossad thought that they could influence South Africa at the presidential level in terms of their claim that Iran had, and was close, to have nuclear weapons,” he said.

“I was party to a meeting that President Mbeki invited me to, where two members of Mossad visited South Africa to raise the alarm at the highest level with the President. We politely heard what they claim was and it was so ridiculous. It was at the level of Netanyahu and his appearances at the United Nations where he shows his graphs with the bomb that is liable to be turned into a nuclear weapon at any time. We’ve all seen the shows that this idiot presents to the United Nations, this arrogant criminal,” Kasrils remarked. “The President and I both had a laugh but with amazement at the racist way that they thought they were coming to Africa to talk to a black President, who could naively be influenced.”

Kasrils expressed hope for growing global awareness and solidarity with Palestinians. He called for an international movement to counter Western-backed Israeli aggression, including threats to Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq, and Iran.