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Officials in South Africa's biggest city of Johannesburg have proposed renaming a major street after a Palestinian woman who was involved in a hijacking more than 50 years ago, sparking criticism from several political parties and the city's Jewish community.
The city council is considering naming the street in its financial district of Sandton after Leila Khaled, a Palestinian militant and member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine group.
Khaled, who is now 80 years old, gained infamy in 1969 when she was part of a group who hijacked a Trans World Airlines flight on a journey from Rome to Tel Aviv, Israel. She became known as the first woman to hijack a plane.
She was also one of two people who attempted to hijack an Israeli Airlines flight from Amsterdam to New York City the following year, which resulted in the other hijacker being fatally shot by air marshals.
Israel considers Khaled a terrorist, but she is widely seen as a hero and freedom fighter by Palestinians and by some in South Africa who support the Palestinian cause. The PFLP is part of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the internationally recognized representative of the Palestinian people. While the main PLO faction, Fatah, recognizes Israel’s right to exist, the PFLP doesn’t, and Israel, the United States and other Western allies of Israel consider it a terrorist group.
South Africa has historically close ties to the Palestinians and has accused Israel of committing genocide in the war in Gaza in a highly sensitive case that's being heard by the United Nations' top court. South Africa and Israel have been fiercely critical of each other over that case.
Khaled has previously visited South Africa.
The street renaming controversy dates back to 2018, when it was first proposed and reportedly sparked a brawl among Johannesburg city officials, according to local media coverage at the time. It was initially proposed by Al Jama-ah, a pro-Palestinian minority party in the Johannesburg council, and supported by the African National Congress, South Africa's largest political party.
The name change is being considered again and members of the public have until mid-October to register their objections.
The South African Zionist Federation said the proposed change was partly aimed at the fact that the U.S. consulate in Johannesburg is located on the same street, which is currently called Sandton Drive. SAZF spokesperson Rolene Marks said renaming the street “after a failed terrorist with ties to a globally recognized terrorist organization” would sow division in South Africa.
Marks has also previously called the proposal “an affront to peace-loving South Africans" and "deliberately provocative" toward Johannesburg's Jewish community.
Sandton Drive is a major road in the district of Sandton, which is considered to be the richest square mile in Africa. It's also been the site of several pro-Palestinian protests in recent months outside the U.S. consulate.
Fana Mkhonza, a council member for the African Christian Democratic Party, a South African political party opposed to the proposal, said Khaled did not qualify to have the street renamed after her, according to the city's policies. South Africa has renamed some streets in recent years to remove colonial references and better reflect and recognize the country's majority Black population, especially those who fought against the apartheid system of white minority rule that ended in 1994.
“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," Mkhonza said. “The ACDP does not see any tolerance, reconciliation and peace in this proposed person’s name to replace Sandton Drive."
Al Jama-ah said renaming the street would show solidarity with the Palestinian people and be a recognition of their struggle.
“While some argue that we should focus on South African heroes, we should not ignore international figures who have fought for justice and freedom," said Thapelo Ahmad, the Johannesburg chairperson of Al Jama-ah and the former mayor of the city who originally proposed the name change in 2018.
