The South African National Assembly cut ties with the Israelis by closing their embassy in Pretoria. Concluding the closing of the South African Embassy in Israel, South Africa also ended diplomatic relations with Israel. The embassy was closed and had suspended all diplomatic relations, “until a ceasefire is agreed and Israel commits to binding UN-facilitated negotiations whose outcome must be a just, sustainable and lasting peace,”. The president of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, stated that the government has taken measures towards making a formal complaint to the International Criminal Court against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The complaint is due to the Israeli government’s war with Hamas. Yet, almost two years prior, the debate to cut ties was already underway. January of 2022, critics argue that citizens of South Africa would be trapped in Israel proceeding to the end of diplomatic relations. Regardless, South Africans in Israel or Palestine could end up trapped in a war zone, critics state.
Nonetheless, Roshan Dadoo, the coordinator of the SA BDS Coalition said, “There is no role for diplomacy with a settler-colonial apartheid state that is guilty of genocide against a population that it occupies. South Africa should not be having relations with a state that perpetrates war crimes with impunity and treats the United Nations, international law, and the rest of the world with utter disdain,”. Although geographically separated, it is evident that South Africans, who are predominantly Christian, have significant involvement with the Israel-Palestine conflict. After further research, Israel has notoriously formed bonds with African countries, many of which terminated after arab oil countries threatened the African countries to do so (possibly due to the Israeli occupation of Palestinians). Further proof of this trend: “South Africa has backed the Palestinian cause for statehood in Israeli-occupied territories for decades, likening the plight of Palestinians to those of the Black majority during the repressive apartheid-era, a comparison Israel vehemently denies.” Historically, oil countries have obtained power over consumer countries of oil. However, it seems that South Africa has genuine support for Hamas due to Dadoo’s statement, along with confirmation of South Africa’s support of Palestine.
Due to the rigid identities of Palestinians and Israel, the double-edged sword is evident. Collectivists would view the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as a prime example of their take on conflicts: identity-based. Since Palestine unified via Islam and Israel unified via Judaism, these groups have competing ideologies. These ideologies are significant unifiers but are the root cause of division between the two groups. On the international system level of analysis, countries across the globe, such as South Africa, are constantly weighing into the conflict. Due to rigid ideologies, those with connections with either side become involved, regardless of geographical location.
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