The South African government is continuing with the process of downsizing its diplomatic mission in Israel, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday.
Ramaphosa said this in a written response to a parliamentary question from opposition National Freedom Party lawmaker Munzoor Shaik-Emam who asked him for details of progress or any update on the matter.
Pretoria withdrew its ambassador from Tel Aviv over a year ago, angered at Israel’s continued abuse of Palestinians in the occupied territory.
The move was triggered in May 2018 after a massacre of protesting Palestinians by the Israeli army in Gaza, a land dubbed “one of the greatest open air prisons in the world by the Palestinians themselves.
In fact, the move to downsize the diplomatic post in Tel Aviv was made in December 2017 by the ruling African National Congress at its national elective conference, when it instructed the government to downgrade its Israel embassy.
This resulted months later in the withdrawal of South African ambassador to Israel, Sisa Ngombane, from Tel Aviv in May 2018 following the massacre of the protesting Palestinians.
Months down the line Ramaphosa said the government was still forging ahead with its plans to downgrade South Africa’s embassy in Israel due to the Jewish state’s human rights abuses and crimes against humanity in occupied Palestine.
“The government remains engaged with the modalities of downgrading the South African Embassy in Israel.
“We have recalled our ambassador and intend to retain a liaison office in Tel Aviv, which will oversee our continuing provision of consular services and any trade and economic relations,” Ramaphosa said.
NM/jn/APA