The daily Johannesburg Star described it as "an enigmatic embrace." Said one South African expert: "Politics make strange bedfellows and fear and loneliness even stranger ones."
That combination of politics, fear and loneliness is probably the best explanation for a blossoming friendship between Israel and South Africa. Trade between the two has multiplied from $3 million in 1961 to $120 million currently. Impressive mutual technical assistance programs are under way. Last year diplomatic relations between Jerusalem and Pretoria were raised to full ambassadorial level. Last week, in a striking climax to these...