No appointment for S. Africa's opposition leader to meet with Abass: Palestinian Embassy

The Palestinian Embassy to South Africa on Monday denied claims that an appointment had been made for opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane, who was visiting Israel last week, to meet with President of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Mahmoud Abbas.

In a media statement, the embassy said they only learned of Maimane's visit through the media, and that no appointment had been made for Maimane to meet with Abbas in Ramallah, the West Bank.

The DA claimed earlier that a meeting with Abbas had been scheduled, but was cancelled by his office due to a scheduling conflict in Abbas' diary.

The embassy said however that they were officially informed that no one of PA officials or leadership was to meet with Maimane.

Maimane has raised a hue and cry by paying a visit to Israel, which has been at logger heads with South Africa, a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause.

Maimane met with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the visit. This despite President Jacob Zuma's call for South Africans to refrain from travelling to Israel.

The ruling African National Congress (ANC) has condemned the visit.

The DA's claim about a meeting between Maimane and Abbas "is clearly an attempt to whitewash their ill-conceived visit to the apartheid Israeli state," the ANC said.

"Lying about an alleged appointment with President Abbas was a cheap attempt by the DA and Mmusi Maimane in particular to gain credibility for this visit, which has now spectacularly backfired, exposing the DA for what they are -- unprincipled with a callous disregard for the Palestinian people," said the ANC.

For an organization that lays claim to the values of South Africa's late president Nelson Mandela, which include an unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people, this is hypocrisy at its worst, ANC national spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said.

"It our hope and expectation that the DA will act with the same vigour directed at ANC leaders to hold their own leader, the mendacious Mmusi Maimane, to account," Kodwa said.

The ANC said Maimane's visit came at a time when the world, including the UN Security Council, is increasingly standing up against Israel's illegal settlements in occupied Palestinian territories.

"It is a pity that the DA is endorsing the Israeli regime instead of condemning its violations of international law," the ANC said.

The ANC warned the DA not to mislead the public by suggesting that the South African government and the ANC itself share the same position as the DA on Palestine.

The ANC not only supports a just and fair solution but also has actively supported and organized international solidarity campaigns with the people of Palestine, the party said. Endit