Day: November 18, 2024

SOUTH AFRICA EXPOSED

Instead of moral crusader, South Africa is revealed to be the contract gunslinger for Iran and Qatar with Israel as the target.

A new report by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) reveals allegations of financial and political involvement by Iran and Qatar in South Africa’s December 2023 case at the International Criminal Court (ICC) accusing Israel of ‘genocide’ in Gaza.

Lay of the Land invites readers to read first the commentary by way of introduction followed by the report. In the words of ISGAP Executive Director, Dr. Charles Asher Small, the report “underscores how South Africa’s leadership, under the ANC, is aligning with some of the world’s most dangerous actors, based on a culture of corruption,” and  marks an abandonment “of the of the ANC core values” associated under the leadership of Nelson Mandela by deepening ties with international designated terrorist organizations and their state sponsors.

David E. Kaplan
Editor Lay of the Land




The South African ANC Government’s Dangerous Alliances with Iran, Qatar, and Hamas:
 Report Reveals How South African ANC ICJ Bid Against Israel is Part of a Broader Strategy to Advance the Interests of Terror-Linked States, Undermining Global Security and Democratic Governments.

The South African ANC Government’s Dangerous Alliances with Iran, Qatar, and Hamas:
 Report Reveals How South African ANC ICJ Bid Against Israel is Part of a Broader Strategy to Advance the Interests of Terror-Linked States, Undermining Global Security and Democratic Governments
NEW YORK – November 15, 2024 – The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) released a landmark report revealing the extent of the ruling political party in South Africa African National Congress (ANC)’s deepening ties with international designated terrorist organizations and their state sponsors, including Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and Qatar. Entitled, South Africa, Hamas, Iran, and Qatar: The Hijacking of the ANC and the International Court of Justice, the report sheds light on how the alliance of terror and radical Islam are using South Africa and the people’s valiant historical legacy of struggle, as a critical node in global terrorist financing networks.

Crucially, the report connects South Africa’s political and financial alignment with Iran and Qatar – both leading supporters of global terrorism – with its campaign to bring a legal case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The ANC’s decision to pursue this legal battle appears to be part of a broader geopolitical strategy orchestrated by these terror-linked states to undermine Israel under the guise of international law. The report illustrates that this legal action is intended to mask South Africa’s domestic challenges while allowing Iran and Qatar to push their anti-Israel agenda using South Africa’s historical image of social justice as a convenient front.

The ISGAP report provides well-documented, evidence of the ANC’s support for Hamas, marked by formal agreements and frequent high-level engagements between ANC leaders and Hamas officials. In a disturbing trend, South African organizations purportedly engaging in humanitarian work have actually channeled financial and logistical support to Hamas and also Hezbollah, solidifying these dangerous ties.

Dr. Charles Asher Small, Executive Director of ISGAP, said: “This report underscores how South Africa’s leadership, under the ANC, is aligning with some of the world’s most dangerous actors, based on a culture of corruption. This marks an abandonment of the of the ANC core values under the leadership of Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo and Walter Sisulu who were committed to establishing a democratic South Africa for all South Africans. The ANC’s alliances with Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and Qatar not only destabilize the region but also position South Africa as a key player in the global web of anti-democratic terror financing. The decision to bring a case against Israel before the ICJ must be seen in this broader context, where international terrorism and political manipulation converge, in which these Jihadist entities attempt to delegitimize Israel in order to destroy it and to undermine democracy and related institutions. It is incumbent on the international community to take a strong stance against the ANC’s troubling partnerships with terror-linked states and organizations and expose the moral and political rot that endangers South Africans and all people committed to democratic principles“.

The report raises concerns about the timing and financing of South Africa’s case against Israel at the ICJ. It highlights how, in early 2024, shortly after the South African government announced its case against Israel, the ANC mysteriously managed to stabilize its finances with an influx of money, despite being on the verge of bankruptcy. This sudden financial turnaround came without explanation, raising suspicions of foreign financial influence, potentially linked to Iran and Qatar, as this occurred after high-level meetings with Hamas, Iranian and Qatari leaders with ANC ministers , both of which have vested interests in challenging Israel on the global stage.

Beyond that, the report raises critical flaws in South Africa’s case at the ICJ. This notably includes the lack of any mention of Hamas’ crimes, such as their use of the civilian population in Gaza as human shields to maximize collateral damage, or that the Hamas Charter and leaders consistently call for the dismantling of Israel and the murder of Jews around the world. The report also exposes the nature of the South African legal team at the ICJ, which is composed of
individuals and organizations with a record of vehement anti-Israel bias, and direct links to terror organizations.

The report also brings attention to South Africa’s strategic partnership with Iran and Qatar, both of which have been implicated in supporting terrorism. South African government plays a critical role in facilitating Iran’s entry into the BRICS group of nations, thereby granting the country enhanced political legitimacy and access to an influential economic bloc. Similarly, Qatar’s influence in South Africa has grown significantly, particularly through substantial investments in the energy sector and close collaboration on international political issues, including the Palestinian cause.

Significantly, the report also discusses Russian financial influence in South African politics. It details how the United Manganese of Kalahari (UMK), partly owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg, has become a major ANC donor. Despite U.S. sanctions against Vekselberg for supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he retains substantial ownership in UMK, allowing him to continue financing the ANC. This raises serious questions about potential Russian leverage over South Africa’s foreign policy, especially regarding its increasingly anti- Israel stance.

The report also demonstrates how South Africa has become a strategic hub for terrorist financing, with sophisticated networks funnelling money to groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. Using systems such as hawala, these groups benefit from South African infrastructure, often with the tacit approval of local authorities. Furthermore, the report delves into a classified South African intelligence document from 1998 that highlighted the already growing presence of radical Islamist organizations within the country, including Hamas and Hezbollah. These groups, it said, use South Africa as a base for fundraising, media operations, and even military training. This disturbing trend has only intensified, with the ANC’s leadership continuing to deepen its ties with these actors. The report urges the international community to reassess South Africa’s role in global security and calls for a stronger stance against the ANC’s troubling partnerships with terror-linked states and organizations. ISGAP emphasizes that South Africa’s aggressive legal campaign against Israel appears to be part of a broader strategy to deflect attention from the ANC’s domestic crises, including widespread corruption and economic failure.
  The full report can be accessed here.

For media inquiries contact Raoul Wootliff at raoul@number10strategies.com





CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL REPORT





While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

ONCE DISTINCT, SOON EXTINCT

Is this the future and fate of the Jews of Europe?

By David E. Kaplan

“What remains of Jewish life in Europe today works like this,” writes Giulio Meotti in Il Foglio, an Italian daily with nationwide circulation:

“…synagogues are protected fortresses; schools have no signs but they do have many private police and security guards; houses have removed the outside mezuzah; Jews do not wear a kippah in the street or a necklace with the Star of David; they do not give their Hebrew surname to taxis; they tell their children not to speak Hebrew in public, there are no Israeli flags in their windows.”

Securing Synagogues. In Europe, synagogues are protected like fortresses. Seen here are French soldiers patrolling in front of a synagogue outside Paris. (Photo: Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/Getty Images)

In less than a century after the Holocaust, signs of the worst in European history are barbarically repeating itself and that universal pledge of “Never Again” has been exposed as a façade for “Once Again”.

Were Jews delusional or naïve in thinking post-Holocaust that antisemitic attitudes had changed? I recall when attending in 1997, the 33rd conference of the World Zionist Organization in Jerusalem and one of the leaders of the French Jewish community taking to the podium and in a booming voice, boasted that “France today is the finest and safest country in the world for Jews,” and to emphasize his point, added with a raised finger, “even more so that the US.” Rattling off the names of kosher restaurants in Paris “that would rival New York,” he painted a picture of a new “Golden Age” for French Jews, a far cry from his county’s painful past of Dreyfus and the Shoah. Even if it was an astonishing statement then, far more so today as countries in present day Europe seem to be competing in how far they express their antipathy towards Jews.  

Writing is on the wall – literally! A man walks past graves desecrated with swastikas at the Jewish cemetery in Westhoffen, near Strasbourg, France, December 4, 2019.(Photo: Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters)

Not only do they want their Jews to disappear from Europe but they also want the Jewish state to disappear from the face of the earth.

Following the Amsterdam pogrom with its roaming gangs violently accosting people in the street and demanding to see their passports to see if they were Jewish and thus eligible for a public beating, Europe is looking increasingly 1930s Hitlerian!

This horrific well-orchestrated mass attack in a European city center by pro-Palestinian hordes on the eve of the anniversary of Kristallnacht, was a chilling reminder of the dangers of resurfaced antisemitism on European soil.

Writes Meotti:

 “Last week’s pogrom in Amsterdam should  be the final wake-up call for Dutch Jews, but I doubt it will be.”

He strongly advocates that “Europe’s Jews should leave now before it’s too late.”

Jews be Dammed.  It was in Amsterdam’s best-known locations, Dam Square, where the mob attacks on Jews began on November 7 following a football match.

Agreeing with him is the Chief Rabbi of the Great Synagogue of Paris, Moshe Sebbag, who recently advocated departure for his community:

“There is no future for Jews in France. I tell all young people to go to Israel or to a safer country.”

While mostly rare for practicing community rabbis to encourage their congregants “to pack their bags,” it would appear this is precisely what is happening today in Europe. Another significant chief rabbi joining this trembling trend is the Chief Rabbi of Barcelona, ​​Meir Bar Hen, who expressed:

 “This place is lost. Better to leave sooner rather than later to Israel. Our community is condemned both because of radical Islam and the reluctance of the authorities to confront it. I encouraged them to buy a house in Israel.”

‘Paradise Lost’. ‘Europe is lost,’ says Barcelona’s Rabbi Meir Bar-Hen. ‘I tell my congregants: Don’t think we’re here for good, and I encourage them to buy property in Israel’

Echoing this petrifying perception is the chief rabbi of Brussels, Avraham Gigi, who asserts:

“The Jews have no future in Europe.”

Far less surprising is to hear Frederik Sieradzki, the spokesman for the Jewish community of Malmö, saying that Sweden’s third largest city “could lose all its Jews by 2029.” Following the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre, Swedish cities, especially Malmö, have experienced an avalanche of Jew-hatred at the hands of Islamist mobs and their far-left comrades-in-arms. Sweden, like countries elsewhere, has imported the contemporary global antisemitism where the word “Jew” has been replaced with the word “Zionist” and/or “Israel.” It is the traditional “same old, same old” antisemitism in transparent disguise.

There is “no solution” for Malmö’s Jews and is “beyond repair” is the view of the country’s Jewish leadership and affirms Sieradzki’s, assessment that by 2029, the “Jewish community could disappear entirely.”

Not by 2029, but no less pessimistic is the prediction for the UK.

British-Israeli businessman and philanthropist who has been chairman of JNF (Jewish National Fund)-UK since 2008,Samuel Hayek predicts:

“Jews have no future in the United Kingdom.”

London Calling! An Israeli supporter holds up a placard saying ‘End Jew Hatred’ at a protest in Trafalgar Square, London, on October 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)

How the unthinkable of yesterday has sadly shifted to the plausible of today.

In Germany, the European country thought the most favorably disposed to Jews and Israel since the Holocaust, there are tangible shifts. Editor-in-chief Philipp Peyman Engel of the Jüdische Allgemeine, said in an interview with Die Welt that “Jewish in Germany is becoming invisible.”

I understood his point. A year ago, I met with a young adult delegation from Germany where one of the participants from Berlin said he has had to change his route when driving to the center of the city. “It’s added over 30 minutes to my drive. What used to be perfectly safe, now as a Jew, I cannot anymore drive through my old route which is predominantly Muslim. It’s now unsafe for Jews!”

Troubling Trend. Britain recorded thousands of antisemitic incidents after the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas in October, making 2023 the worst year for UK antisemitism since 1984. Seen here are Hamas supporters at a march in London, November 11, 2023. (Metropolitan Police)

Last year, 1,100 Jews immigrated to Israel from France. This year, it is predicted there will be over 4,500. This is an impressive hike in only one year. Then if we compare that before 2012 only 500 Jews left France every year, these statistics are spine-chillingly revealing. Jews are clearly leaving France in ever-increasing numbers and they are doing so because they see themselves no longer living through a “Golden Age” but rather another “Dark Age”. 

A blueprint to this “Dark Age” is to be found in the pages of Mein Kampf espousing the vision of a “judenrein” Europe – a continent cleansed of its Jews.

Is this acceptable to today and tomorrow’s Europeans?

For many who have read the signs, they will follow these developments from Israel.



Enough Is Enough! English Patriots Begin Removing All Palestinian Flags on UK Streets – UK Rise UP








While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).