Zionist Fed's Attack on Mathatha Tsedu Carries Hallmark of Israeli Script: Denial of Truth

Mathatha Tsedu's credentials as a principled journalist are beyond reproach. As a doyen of the craft, he has for decades fought against racism in the media and the marginalisation of black journalists. 

Unafraid to speak truth to power, has not been a mere cliché for Tsedu, but an expression of his relentless pursuit of justice.

On Palestine, he recently endorsed the view of the prime minister of Barbados, Mia Amir Mottley, who said that "Principle only means something when it is inconvenient to stand by it". 

Tsedu underpinned this when he wrote that South Africa’s support for Palestine was and is correct, in the context of America's bullying and pressure to have SA drop its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

He wrote in his eloquent style to remind us about Trump’s views: "That the action by the upstart 'shit hole', as Trump described this country, to take Israel to the ICC, and not only accuse it of genocide but get the court to agree, is inexcusable". 

The result of it for Trump is that "His friend Bibi Netanyahu cannot stomp around the world without first checking if he won't be arrested". And also "Israeli soldiers who participated in the genocide have found themselves having to scuttle back home to avoid arrest while holidaying in South America".  All because of South Africa.

Against this background, one is not surprised that pro-Israel lobby groups in South Africa, who, despite overwhelming evidence of the genocide in Gaza, dispute this fact, are at odds with Tsedu's forthright views on Palestine.

His recent column wherein Tsedu labelled Netanyahu as the "new Fuhrer", has irked the Zionist lobby. 

In responding to counter Tsedu, Angie Segal resorts to what one can best describe as a malicious attempt to distort his brilliant characterisation of Netanyahu as the Hitler of Gaza. 

That Segal leans on several fallacies is expected of her as head of Israel’s leading propaganda outfit: the SA Zionist Federation.

As is known and publicly exposed by none other than Daniel Friedman, the Zionist Fed is an organisation that offers unconditional support – including fundraising – for the colonial entity known as Israel.

He affirmed that the regime is according to the United Nations, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and many of the world’s leading academic experts, is committing a genocide against the people of Gaza.

Hence, no amount of Zionist propaganda, especially of the type presented by Segal, carries any moral clarity.

Her feeble attempt to cast Tsedu as an antisemite by claiming that his "anti-Jewish venom" informs his "whole view" is an indication of desperation and failure to reason.

This is simply because Israel is bleeding from the levels of global outrage against the genocide and is hard-pressed to counter it except by angry barbs, misplaced allegations of antisemitism and ridiculous theories of terrorism.

As a self-proclaimed agent of Israel that has as its mission to "look after matters relating to Israel and its image in South Africa", the SA Zionist Federation proudly proclaims it is in service as "advocates for Israel in this country". It thus has and will continue to promote talking points in line with the political and military goals of the genocidal regime.

One of which is what Segal relies on to deny that a genocide is happening in Gaza, and the other is that it cannot be compared to the Holocaust.

And against overwhelming evidence compiled by leading human rights organisations as well as by B'Tselem - an Israel-based movement of civil rights - she disputes the number of Palestinians killed in the genocide.

Referring to the number of more than 60 000 killed as "thumb-sucked", Segal adds to her outlandish propaganda by seeking to justify the killing of civilians in the most callous and insensitive way: "Why have civilians found themselves in the firing line...?"

Equally grotesque are her remarks that "The war in Gaza is just that - a war". Apart from being deceptive and hoping that her contestation to prevent the genocide from being compared to the Holocaust will succeed, Segal fails miserably.

The number of cracks in her arguments ought to embarrass both her and the Zionist Fed, but to follow the Israeli script as they do requires acting like ostriches. 

Iqbal Jassat

Executive Member

Media Review Network