AFRICAN GLOBAL DIALOGUE INITIATIVE SPARKS CONTROVERSY OVER MIDDLE EAST PEACE NARRATIVE

The African Global Dialogue Initiative, scheduled at Constitutional Hill from September 18 to 20, has drawn significant criticism from pro-Palestinian groups in South Africa. Various organisations, including the South African BDS Coalition and South African Jews for a Free Palestine (SAJF), have condemned the event titled ‘Narrative Conditions to Peace in the Middle East.’

They accuse it of serving as a platform to demonise Palestinians’ right to resist Israeli occupation while attempting to whitewash the genocide occurring in Gaza and the West Bank.

In an interview with Salaamedia, Rina King from SAJF strongly opposed the event. She criticised the conference as a blatant attempt to marginalise the Palestinian struggle for justice and human rights.

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King described the conference as a “genocide-washing” effort aimed at changing the narrative around the genocide in Gaza and the occupation of the West Bank, labelling Palestinian supporters as radical, and normalising Israel’s actions against the Palestinian people.

“This is a desperate attempt to change the narrative to normalise Israel’s position and to weaponise peace. We have to discuss peace, we have to get a ceasefire. But because we are calling it a genocide, we are radical.”

“Because South Africa is taking Israel to the ICJ for genocide, they are radical, and it is trying to change the narrative and normalise what Israel is doing and undermine human rights internationally.”

Furthermore, hosting the event at Constitutional Hill is highly problematic and inappropriate, considering the site’s profound connection to South Africa’s struggle for justice, freedom, equality, and human rights. Given its significance, hosting the conference at this location has been deemed controversial, with many viewings it as contradictory to the area’s core values.

King argues that, for this reason, the government should not have permitted such an event to be held at such a historic location, as it undermines the legacy and principles that Constitutional Hill stands for.

“It is truly a despicable concept, and not only that, they are doing it on our precious, precious Constitution Hill. That is a sacred place for us in South Africa, and they are really not honouring what Constitution Hill is about.”

Speaker Misrepresentation Raises Questions About Conference Integrity

Critics of the event have also expressed concerns about the legitimacy of the speakers associated with the conference and how the organisers misrepresented their involvement.

King disclosed that several individuals and organisations were listed as participants or speakers without their consent, with some only becoming aware of their inclusion after publicly announcing the event.

As a result, the event’s organisers have been accused of intentionally misleading the public to create an illusion of credibility, even though many prominent figures have either withdrawn or were never involved from the start.

“The people organising the conference lied about who is participating in this conference and what it is about, so they tried to use people to legitimise it and really abused these people’s names and reputations.”

“It’s the liberal Zionists who are being billed at the conference. Basically, they are trying to legitimise what Israel is doing and also trying to portray us as radical because we are talking about a genocide.”