Mideast Monitor

South Africa's cabinet has decided that all goods produced in illegal Jewish settlements must be labelled as originating in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This is the culmination of several months of consultation, with the trade ministry inviting public comment back in May, saying that the labels should be introduced so that consumers are "not misled".

"This is in line with South Africa's stance that recognises the 1948 borders delineated by the United Nations and does not recognise occupied territories beyond these borders as being part of the state of Israel," government spokesman Jimmy Manyi told a press conference.

On the face of it, it all sounds quite straightforward. Not a single foreign government supports the building of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem, which are illegal under international law. There is a substantial movement even within Israel to boycott goods produced over the so-called "Green Line", and this represents the far more moderate side of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement. In fact, it is worth noting that South Africa is not advocating a boycott of these goods, simply clear labelling, and it has no bearing on goods produced in mainland Israel.

However, that is not how the Israeli Foreign Ministry sees it, releasing a very strongly worded statement: "Such exclusion and discrimination bring to mind ideas of a racist nature which the government of South Africa, more than any other, should have wholly rejected."

This reaction is completely out of proportion, particularly given that South Africa cites its history of apartheid, oppression and human rights abuses as the reason it backs the Palestinian cause. This view was summarised by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who said in 1989: "If you changed the names, the description of what is happening in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank would be a description of what is happening in South Africa."

The relationship between Israel and South Africa has never been easy. Israel had close ties to the white, apartheid regime, which fell in 1994. Although Israel nominally participated in western sanctions against South Africa from the 1980s, it retained a behind-closed-doors trade and defence relationship with the apartheid government. Prior to that, the two countries collaborated in military training and weapons development. The African National Congress has long-standing links to Palestinian freedom movements, and many leading figures have denounced Israel's policies. "We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians," said Nelson Mandela in a speech in Pretoria in 1997.