Mon 06 October 2023:
The Cabinet has decided to recall South Africa’s diplomats in Israel for further consultations on the situation in Gaza.
The Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni made the announcement in Pretoria when she briefed the media on the outcomes of last week’s cabinet meeting on Monday.
Ntshavheni says Pretoria is disappointed with Israel’s continued bombing of schools and clinics in Gaza and the closure of humanitarian passages.
Ntshavheni also says the Cabinet is unhappy about the derogatory comments of South Africa’s ambassador to South Africa regarding the country’s opposition to the war between his country and the Palestinian militant group, Hamas.
“The South African government has decided to withdraw all its diplomats in Tel Aviv for consultation. Cabinet has also noted the continuing disparaging remarks of the Israeli ambassador to South Africa about those who are opposing the atrocities and genocide of the Israeli government the position of the Israeli ambassador to South Africa is becoming very untenable cabinet has decided to instruct DIRCO to take the necessary measures within the diplomatic channels and protocols to deal with the conduct of the ambassador of Israel to South Africa.”
Cabinet said that support from the United States for Israel to continually attack Gaza and the West Bank, and to threaten the use of nuclear weapons undermined international law and the global system.
“A genocide under the watch of the international community cannot be tolerated. Another holocaust in the history of humankind is unacceptable,” Ntshavheni said.
Ntshavheni said it also made a peaceful solution to the conflict impossible.
She said Cabinet instructed the Minister of International Relations, Naledi Pandor, to act against Belotserkovsky.
“We leave it to DIRCO – they are the experts of what should be done to the ambassador. Our responsibility as Cabinet is to instruct them to say the conduct and the remarks of that ambassador are unacceptable.”
Cabinet will also be leaving it up to DIRCO to decide when and for how long to withdraw the country’s diplomats from Israel.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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