By adopting an extreme anti-Israel position, ANC MP Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela (My grandfather Nelson Mandela fought apartheid. I see the parallels with Israel, 11 October) does injustice to the moral legacy of his late grandfather.

Far from being a rabid opponent of Israel, Nelson Mandela was sympathetic towards Zionism. Just as Mandela supported Palestinian aspirations, he also endorsed the Jewish people’s right to a nation state of their own. In 1993, he stated publicly that the ANC affirms “the legitimacy of Zionism as a Jewish nationalism”.

Unlike his grandson, Nelson Mandela understood that the Arab world needed to accept the legitimacy of the Jewish state, and that the people of Israel ought to live in security. In 1999, he called upon Arab leaders to “make an unequivocal statement that they recognise the existence of Israel with secure borders”.

The cause of peace and reconciliation between Israel and the Palestinians will never be served by ignoring these crucial elements of Mandela’s legacy.

Yehuda Avivi

Spokesperson, Embassy of Israel, London