The South African government has been as anti-Israel as possible, although tens of millions of its Christian constituents support Israel.
On November 21, the South African parliament voted to close its Israeli embassy and end diplomatic relations with Israel until a Gaza ceasefire is achieved.
That said, we welcome South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s meeting on Wednesday with the leadership of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) at the presidential residence in Pretoria.
Outrage over South Africa's stance amid Israel-Hamas war
The small Jewish community in South Africa, estimated to be under 50,000 souls, is seriously concerned that Ramaphosa not only downgraded relations with Israel but has also sided with Hamas in the current war, thereby sanctioning antisemitic and anti-Israel protests and actions.
The SAJBD had petitioned Ramaphosa to:
- Restore full diplomatic recognition of Israel, including the reopening of the South African embassy in Tel Aviv and providing assurances that the Israeli embassy in Pretoria will not be closed to enable the return of the Israeli ambassador to South Africa;
- Speak and/or act against the boycott of Israeli and Jewish businesses in South Africa; and
- Protect the South African Jewish community against antisemitic incidents and/or attacks.
In response, it said, Ramaphosa reiterated his country’s position on the current conflict, saying that the South African government:
- Stands with the people of Palestine who have endured over seven decades of apartheid type of brutal occupation;
- Condemned the attacks carried out by Hamas on the 7th of October 2023 on Israeli citizens, including women and children;
- Calls for all hostages to be returned;
- Condemns the genocide that is being inflicted against the people of Palestine, including women and children, through collective punishment and ongoing bombardment of Gaza;
- Calls for the International Criminal Court to investigate all the atrocities and war crimes committed in Israel and Palestine and to hold all those responsible to account and other issues in a similar tone.
South Africa recalled its diplomats from Israel for consultations after a cabinet meeting that was held on November 1. “A genocide under the watch of the international community cannot be tolerated,” said Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni at a news conference explaining the decision.
Ramaphosa indicated to the SAJBD on Tuesday that “the South African diplomats recalled to Tel Aviv following Israel’s ground will remain in South Africa for consultations during the current state of conflict. However, the government will endeavor to make available all the necessary support that is required by South African citizens in need of assistance.”
At the same time, Ramaphosa emphasized “the government’s denunciation of antisemitic behavior towards Jewish people in South Africa, including the boycott of Jewish-owned businesses, and Islamophobia,” and he “called on all South Africans to remain true to the tenets of the country’s constitution.”
Israel recalled its ambassador to South Africa, Eli Belotserkovsky, for consultations on November 20 following a threat by South Africa to expel him and a call for the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Karen Milner, SAJBD’s national chairperson, called it “a great pity” that both countries had recalled their envoys in an atmosphere of mutual hostility. “This takes place against the background of a sustained campaign of demonization and bullying of the Israeli ambassador by the... South African ruling party and the South African government in a way that was unconducive to dialogue and engagement,” she said.
South Africa’s Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein has courageously spoken out against the Ramaphosa government’s anti-Israel stand, calling it and those marching against Israel “the useful idiots of Iran.”
“The South African government and all global opponents of the State of Israel are on the wrong side of history,” Goldstein said in a video message last month. “In its most recent actions, withdrawing South African diplomats from Israel and threatening the Israeli ambassador to South Africa with expulsion, this government is supporting Iran and its proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah, to destroy the State of Israel and spread global jihad.”
We urge South Africa to heed the chief rabbi’s counsel and reverse course, reinstate its ambassador in Israel, and resume healthy relations with the Jewish state. As South Africa braces for national and provincial elections in 2024, its ANC government should be reminded that the vast majority of its 60 million citizens are Christians who support Israel.