On 23 March 2009, South African Ambassador Ismail Coovadia handed over his credentials. He was accompanied by six members of his staff in addition to his wife, who between them represented a demographic mosaic of South African reconciliation with complexions ranging from white to olive, to brown to black, but with their owners radiating a sense of camaraderie and teamwork.
Although several years have passed since apartheid rule, Peres who in his time knew a different South Africa, still marveled at how the country had overcome apartheid and how it had managed to instill and exude such a tremendous sense of forgiveness. “Mandela is a hero to all of us,” he said in reference to former President Nelson Mandela whose leadership had enabled such radical change.
While those involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have said many times that it is completely different to the conflict overcome by South Africa, Coovadia nonetheless offered any help that South Africa can give towards resolving the crisis as quickly as possible.
Offering one piece of advice from the South African experience, he told Peres: “You have to find a common cause.” He suggested that searching might provide commonalities between the Israeli-Palestinian experience and the South African experience which might serve the interests of peace in the Middle East.
