Photo by [Planet Rugby]
The South African Rugby Union withdrew the invitation sent to the Israeli-based rugby team, Tel Aviv Heat, to compete in the Mzansi Challenge set to take place next month. The Israeli team would have been one of five international teams selected to participate in the tournament against six South African provincial teams.
The decision to invite the Israeli team by SARU surprised many in civil society, let alone global pro-Palestinian organisations. John Minto, Chair of the Palestine Solidarity Network in New Zealand, said he was pretty stunned when he found out SARU extended the invitation to the Israeli team.
However, the Israeli team was disinvited last Friday, with The Mexican Rhinos lined up to take their place, pending approval by the General Council of SA Rugby.
In a statement, the President of SARU, Mark Alexander, said, “We have listened to the opinions of important stakeholder groups and have taken this decision to avoid the likelihood of the competition becoming a source of division, notwithstanding the fact that Israel is a full member of World Rugby and the IOC.”
On their website Tel Aviv Heat said they were surprised and disappointed at SARU’s decision to withdraw them from the competition, stating that no one from SARU had contacted the Israel Rugby Union before their decision.
The ANC noted and welcomed the decision by SARU to uninvite the Israeli team to compete in the Mzansi Challenge. The national spokesperson of the ANC said, “We hope this decision will serve as a reminder to Israel that its illegal occupation of the Palestinian land is an injustice that should not be tolerated.”
Isolation of Apartheid Regimes
Minto recalls the effectiveness boycotting had on the Apartheid Regime in South Africa. During the 1970s and 1980s, he had been involved in campaigns in New Zealand which called for the South African government to be prohibited from participating in various sporting events.
He adds that isolating a country from sporting events has proven to be a successful tool in applying international pressure for change and showing solidarity with the oppressed people. Back then, it was solidarity with the black South Africans, and today it is with the Palestinians.
“Those campaigns were very successful. We did very much isolate South Africa in sports, and that had a very important effect in giving solidarity to black South Africans and bringing pressure for change. [Today] we’ve got an apartheid system in Israel where Palestinians are the victims. We need to use the same International pressure on Israel to not just promote Palestinian rights but to force the Israeli regime to change its policies and provide equal rights to everybody who lives in historic Palestine.”
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SARU’s Introspection
Minto said SARU needs to look internally at itself as an organisation and their internal policies and determine how it could have allowed itself to slip in this situation given South Africa’s recent past.
He adds that during the Apartheid era, the South African Council on Sports spearheaded the international sporting boycotts, which did not allow any South Africans to participate in numerous international sporting events. According to Minto, SACOS also encouraged countries to refrain from sending their teams or players to South Africa.
“The South African Council on Sports said don’t send teams to South Africa because you can’t have normal sports in an abnormal society. And the same thing applies in Israel today. You cannot have a normal sport in Palestine with a military occupation by Israel of the entire area and absolutely unbridled brutality being launched against Palestinians all the way through. The world is letting Israel off the hook. We didn’t let the apartheid system in South Africa off the hook, and we must not let Israel off the hook.”
Most South Africans are in solidarity with the Palestinians and strongly condemn Israeli forces’ military occupation of Palestine. Given the heightened tensions and Israel’s aggressions against Palestinians in recent weeks. The decision to have them participate in the tournament in the first place was not a good one.
