South Africa, a country now synonymous with crime, electricity shortages, inequality, human rights abuses, and (occasionally) a rugby championship, has pulled its ambassador from Israel as it accuses the Jewish state of “genocide” against Hamas terrorists.

The Associated Press reported Monday:

South Africa’s government has recalled Monday its ambassador and diplomatic mission to Israel in condemnation of the bombardment of the Gaza Strip, calling it a “genocide.”

The government also threatened action against the Israeli ambassador to South Africa over his recent remarks on the African country’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war. No further details were given about the remarks.

…

“The South African government has decided to withdraw all its diplomats in Tel Aviv for consultation,” said minister in the presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni. She added the cabinet noted the “disparaging remarks of the Israeli ambassador to South Africa about those who are opposing the atrocities and genocide of the Israeli government” and that the department of international relations has been instructed to “take the necessary measures within the diplomatic channels and protocols to deal with (his) conduct.”

South Africa’s government took an openly pro-Hamas stance after the October 7 terror attacks, which killed over 1,200 people.

South Africa’s chief rabbi responded, rebuking the government for supporting tyrannical regimes around the world.

For decades, South Africa has featured some of the most antisemitic anti-Israel demonstrations in the world, notably at the United Nations World Conference Against Racism in Durban in 2001. That theme continued in recent protests:

A man dressed in military fatigue addresses a crowd of pro-Palestinian supporters during an anti US and anti Israel demonstration in front of the US Consulate in Johannesburg, on November 04, 2023. Thousands of civilians, both Palestinians and Israelis, have died since October 7, 2023, after Palestinian Hamas militants based in the Gaza Strip entered southern Israel in an unprecedented attack triggering a war declared by Israel on Hamas with retaliatory bombings on Gaza. (Photo by MARCO LONGARI / AFP) (Photo by MARCO LONGARI/AFP via Getty Images)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to other ambassadors on Monday about the importance of defeating Hamas. He said:

What we see is a broader battle between civilization and barbarism. The barbarism is led by an axis of terror. The axis of terror is led by Iran. It includes Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis and their other minions. They seek to bring the Middle East and the world back to a dark age. They seek to torpedo, to derail any progress towards peace and the progress and the promise that we had in our budding peace treaties with our Arab neighbors. If they go strong, if they’re not defeated, they will derail this process, they will imperil the entire Middle East. If the Middle East falls to the axis of terror, Europe will be next and no one will be safe. This is not a local battle. This is a global battle. The paramount need is to defeat this axis.

Netanyahu told them: “There is no substitute for victory. This battle is your battle and our victory is your victory.”

Update: Israel’s foreign ministry responded to South Africa. Via spokesman Lior Haiat:

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs fully supports the Israeli Ambassador in South Africa, who represents the position of the Israeli government and the people of Israel while Israel is fighting a murderous terrorist organization that calls for its destruction.
The South African government’s decision to recall its diplomatic staff is a victory for the Hamas terrorist organization and rewards it for the massacre it carried out on October 7, during which Hamas terrorists murdered over 1400 people and kidnapped 241.
Israel expects South Africa to condemn Hamas, which is worse than ISIS, and to respect Israel’s right to defend itself against an attack by a horrific terrorist organization that has engraved on its flag a call for the destruction of the State of Israel.

 

Editor’s Note:  This story was updated to reflect a revised number on the death toll from the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel.  The Israeli government estimate of 1,400 was revised to around 1,200, according to Reuters.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.