Mandela’s legacy can help nations right the wrongs

“Where is the Palestinian Mandela?” is a question I have often heard from Israel’s defenders. What they are really asking is where is the Palestinian equivalent of Nelson Mandela – a man who, they believe, offered only olive branches and dialogue; a man who adored his oppressor so much that he was prepared to forgive and reconcile with them unconditionally?

Israel’s lobbyists have resurrected my grandfather as a liberal pacifist who benevolently made peace with his enemies. To reduce the life of Rolihlahla (Nelson Mandela’s middle name, meaning “the uprooter”) to a reconciler is a deliberate distortion of his legacy.