Johannesburg plans to rename U.S. consulate’s street after Leila Khaled, honoring terrorist who participated in two plane hijackings.
By World Israel News Staff
The city of Johannesburg in South Africa announced that the name of a major street will be changed to honor a notorious Palestinian terrorist.
Sandton Drive, where the U.S. embassy is located, is expected to be renamed Leila Khaled Drive in the near future, as an homage to the first woman believed to have hijacked an airplane.
“This proposal, which would force the American Consulate to change its address to that of an individual classified as a terrorist, is a diplomatic insult that could have far-reaching consequences for South Africa’s international relations and investment,” read a statement from the South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) protesting the change.
The SAZF filed a complaint with the South African government over the change, which they said violates the country’s laws by glorifying terrorism.
One local political party also spoke out against the change. However, their opposition was rooted in Khaled’s lack of connection to South Africa.
“As much as Ms. Khaled could be seen as a freedom fighter in a thin slice of South African society, her fight has been for the Palestinian cause, not for the development of Johannesburg,” said Fana Mkhonza, a council member for the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP.)
“The ACDP does not see any tolerance, reconciliation and peace in this proposed person’s name to replace Sandton Drive.”
Khaled, a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), participated in two high-profile plane hijackings in the 1970s.
As part of a hostage exchange agreement, Khaled was not jailed for her part in the hijackings and lives freely in Amman, Jordan.
The PFLP does not recognize Israel’s right to exist and is officially designated as a terror group by the U.S., the European Union, Canada, and Japan.
The group is also unpopular among Arab states, due to its anti-monarchy stance encouraging the ouster of the kings of Morocco and Jordan.
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