Question NW3498 to the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation

Reply:

South Africa cannot have normal relations with Israel, as long as the latter is unwilling to sincerely negotiate a peace plan without preconditions with Palestine. South Africa cannot be a party in any way to Israel’s plans and actions that would see the ideal of Palestinian statehood reduced into balkanised entities devoid of true sovereignty, without territorial contiguity and with no economic viability. However, breaking of diplomatic relations with Israel will be counterproductive as it will also affect our Representative Office in Ramallah, Palestine and by implication weaken the meaningful role that South Africa can play in the Palestinian cause.

The Government of South Africa will be considering the various calls made to further downgrade its diplomatic relations with Israel given the flagrant breaches of international law, including war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. South Africa has called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate these crimes which fall under its jurisdiction. A decision to downgrade will, further, need to consider whether it may impact negatively on South Africa’s ability to maintain a diplomatic presence in Palestine, which is the only link the country has to the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including Gaza. Nonetheless, the demands for a downgrade have merit. South Africa will discuss this with all relevant stakeholders to assess the approach the country takes to our diplomatic relations with Israel given the current situation in the region.