 "Hamas officials attend Nelson Mandela's 10th death anniversary ceremony in South Africa")
Nelson Mandela’s 10th death anniversary was attended by Hamas officials in South Africa on Tuesday as leaders from the terrorist group joined the anti-apartheid activist’s family in a wreath-laying ceremony.
Former Hamas government minister Basem Naim is in South Africa as part of a delegation and joined Mandela’s grandson, Mandla Mandela, and others at the ceremony at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, the seat of the South African government.
It is important to note that South Africa has been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause and has therefore strongly criticised Israel over its response to the October 7 attacks by Hamas. South Africa has previously compared Israel’s actions in Gaza to its own past apartheid system of racial oppression. Moreover, last month South Africa’s ruling African National Congress party, which was once led by Mandela, voted in favor of a motion in Parliament last month to close the Israeli Embassy in South Africa and cut diplomatic ties because of the war in Gaza.
The motion passed with a large majority but needs to be enacted by President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has criticized Israel but also condemned Hamas for its attack on Israeli civilians that sparked the war.
Mandla Mandela is an ANC lawmaker and has been hosting Naim and other Hamas officials in South Africa. They joined a pro-Palestinian march in Cape Town last week and attended a conference in Johannesburg organized by Mandla Mandela in support of the Palestinians.
Nelson Mandela died on December 5, 2013, at the age of 95. South Africa’s support for the Palestinian cause is one of the former president and anti-apartheid icon’s legacies after he compared the plight of Black South Africans under the apartheid regime to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
But Mandela also visited Israel in 1999 after the end of his term as president and attempted to improve ties.
With inputs from AP
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