The human rights NGO Africa4Palestine has welcomed the South African government’s decision on Monday to recall all remaining SA diplomats from Israel.
This is in protest of what the SA government has termed as Israel’s “genocidal airstrikes” and the “holocaust being committed by the Israeli government against the Palestinians”.
Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor however said there was “nothing strange” about the recall, as it was normal practice where there was an issue causing a great deal of concern to the government.
Pandor says: “You would get your officials to come back to the national setting in order to provide you with a full briefing so that you can make a determination as to whether there is any potential for you to be of assistance and whether the continued relationship is actually able to be sustained in all terms.”
Pandor, who was meeting her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, in Pretoria yesterday, said they were concerned about the escalation of the conflict in Palestine, reports IOL.
She said it appeared Israel was using the policy of “collective punishment”, as thousands of women, children and innocent people have been killed in the Palestinian territories.
She also lashed out at the Israeli ambassador to SA, Eliav Belotserkovsky, for his disparaging remarks.
Cabinet earlier said the Department of International Relations and Cooperation must take appropriate steps against Belotserkvoky for his conduct.
Pandor said the remarks by the Israeli ambassador were akin to remarks made by US ambassador to SA Reuben Brigety a few months ago when he accused Pretoria of supplying arms to Russia.