Cape Town - The ACDP is the party most friendly to Israel, says a survey from the South African Zionist Federation (SAZF).
The SAZF compiled information about the five parties then sent an e-mail titled “Are you voting for a friend of Israel?” to their database. The e-mail ranked five political parties based on their stance towards Israel, and rated them on a scale of one to ten - one being “Not a Friend” and ten being “Good Friend”.
“The Zionist Federation is an apolitical organisation,” SAZF Cape Council director Julie Berman said.
“We don’t advocate for any political party. We don’t encourage anyone to vote for anything.”
SAZF is a member of the World Zionist Federation.
The survey said the ACDP was the most friendly to Israel, with a perfect score of ten.
In the e-mail the SAZF quoted a 2012 statement from ACDP MP Kenneth Meshoe that read: “The ACDP is known to have a sense of solidarity when it comes to Israel due to our mutual biblical history.”
The survey also ranked the IFP, DA, Cope and the ANC.
The IFP was also considered a “Good Friend” to Israel with a score of nine. The DA was a “Friend” at seven, Cope was “Neutral” at four, and the ANC had the lowest score of two.
The SAZF quoted the 2012 Mangaung Resolutions in scoring the ANC.
“The ANC is unequivocal in its support for the Palestinian people… and unapologetic in its view that the Palestinians are the victims and the oppressed in the conflict with Israel.”
The SAZF stressed, however, that they were not encouraging Jews to vote for any one party.
“We represent the Zionist community in South Africa,” SAZF spokesman Ben Schwartz said. “In no way is anyone told who to vote for.”
Schwartz noted that all of the information used in the survey was publicly available and that it was just a piece of information for voters.
Berman said: “The Jewish community must vote with their conscience.
“We are Jewish people living in South Africa and we must vote for what’s best for South Africa.”
Cape Times