Is Mandela a hero of the Free World?
• “MANDELA’S MIDEAST MUDDLE” by Patrick Goodenough INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN EMBASSY JERUSALEM ICEJ NEWS SERVICE OCT 24, 1997 More than a year ago, on August 19 1996, South African President Nelson Mandela was due to arrive on a long-awaited visit to Israel. The trip was postponed because — we were told — Mandela’s health at the time was poor. Since then, however, Mandela has travelled to most corners of the globe, addressing international gatherings and conducting full state visits from Britain to Indonesia. This week he visited Israel’s neighbour, Egypt, before heading for a highly controversial visit to Libya. It’s hard to believe any longer that Mandela is not staying away for political reasons. His reaction to US opposition to the visit, and those of his somnolent Foreign Minister, Alfred Nzo, suggest that these two old men are woefully out of touch with late 20th century reality. Mandela accused Washington of arrogance for dictating “where we should go or who our friends should b
