The City of Johannesburg, South Africa’s biggest city and capital of Gauteng province, sparked controversy after proposing to rename the city’s Sandton Drive, which houses the American Consulate, to Leila Khaled drive.
Leila Khaled is a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, reports the United with Israel. Khaled is notorious for being the first woman involved in hijacking an airplane, for which she was imprisoned but later released in exchange for civilian hostages kidnapped by other PFLP members.
South African Zionist Federation says the proposal ‘is a diplomatic insult that could have far-reaching consequences for South Africa’s international relations and investment. In its letter to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), the federation highlighted that the proposed renaming is in breach of the Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges Act and is therefore “unlawful from the outset.”
“Under the Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges Act, 2001, South Africa has a special duty to take all appropriate steps to protect all consular premises, including that of the USA, and prevent the impairment of their dignity. This is a principle of international law [Article 31(3) of the Vienna Convention]. Widespread responses to the proposed re-naming of Sandton Drive have pointed out that it is an intentional act of antagonism towards the US.”
In its letter, the SAZF called on DIRCO to “take immediate action to address this breach of diplomatic protocol. We urge DIRCO to submit an objection to the City of Johannesburg by the deadline of 18 October 2024.”
One of the city’s reasons for the name change recommendation was the twinning agreement with Ramallah, the Palestinian Authority controlled city in Judea and Samaria. However, in a letter directed to the City of Johannesburg, the SAZF pointed out that if the renaming proceeded, it would risk damaging the city’s long-standing relationship with New York City, which has been its sister city since 1994.
South Africa’s leadership, echoing the lying „apartheid” argument of Islamists and the far left against Israel, is at the forefront of the movement to delegitimise the Jewish state. South Africa was the country that accused Israel of ‘genocide’ at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, where it was said that the plan to destroy the Gaza Strip originated at the highest level of the state.
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