South Africa: Gaza Became a Concentration Camp

By Staff, Agencies

The “Israeli” Foreign Ministry said on Monday it recalled the its Ambassador to South Africa Eli Belotserkovsky for consultations following a series of statements by officials in the country, led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, who accused the apartheid “Israeli” entity of committing genocide in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Over the weekend, President Ramaphosa also declared that his country had turned to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, demanding an investigation into "war crimes and crimes against humanity" committed by the “Israeli” entity in the war.

In his statement regarding the appeal to The Hague, Ramaphosa argued that Gaza has become a "concentration camp". He stated that “Israel’s” airstrikes where Gazans are "killed like flies," constitutes a war crime.

“Israeli” officials fumed over the statements, with a diplomatic source stating, "Recalling the ambassador for consultations sends a message to South Africa that it has crossed all lines." However, this may be a form of preemptive action, as Pretoria has already floated the idea of removing the “Israeli” ambassador.

Last Thursday, the ruling ANC party announced its support for an initiative in parliament to demand that the government close the South African embassy in Tel Aviv and sever all ties with the “Israeli” entity.

South Africa, as a significant supporter of the Palestinians in the international community, consistently voices criticism against “Israel”. It often draws parallels between the Palestinian struggle and the historic fight against apartheid by its black population. As a notable example, South Africa recalled its ambassador from the “Israeli” entity in 2018, and since then, it has had no ambassador in the entity. Last week, in protest against the Gaza attacks, South Africa withdrew all its diplomats from the entity and announced a review of its diplomatic relations with it.