South Africa and Chad withdraw diplomats from Israel

A diplomatic blockade of West Jerusalem has been joined by South Africa and Chad amidst the nation’s conflict with Hamas.

Joining the rising number of countries who have pulled their diplomatic personnel out of Israel in protest of West Jerusalem’s continued efforts to eliminate Hamas, South Africa and Chad have done the same.

South African Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni told reporters in Pretoria on Monday that “a genocide under the watchful eyes of the international community cannot be tolerated.” “It is unacceptable for there to be another Holocaust in human history.”

The three South African ambassadors stationed in Tel Aviv will be called back for “consultation,” as approved by the cabinet last week, according to Ntshavheni. She also alluded to possible legal action against Eli Belotserkovsky, Israel’s ambassador to South Africa, for reportedly making derogatory remarks about people who disagree with the Israeli intervention in Gaza. His position in Pretoria, she continued, is “becoming very untenable.”

A government statement released on Monday stated that Chad recalled its charge d’affaires to Israel on Saturday. “Chad calls for a ceasefire leading to a lasting solution to the Palestinian question and condemns the loss of human lives of many innocent civilians,” the statement read. More than 40 years after the two countries’ connections were cut, the central African nation reestablished diplomatic relations with Israel in 2019.

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On October 7, the terrorist organisation conducted surprise attacks that resulted in an estimated 1,400 deaths, sparking Israel’s most recent conflict with Hamas. Over 200 people were also abducted by Hamas fighters and held as prisoners until they could be returned to Gaza. Local health professionals report that over 10,000 Palestinians have died as a result of the Israeli response.

Chad and South Africa have joined seven other nations in denouncing Israel diplomatically. Bolivia severed ties with Israel diplomatically on October 31. Moreover, ambassadors to Israel have been recalled by Chile, Colombia, Jordan, Bahrain, Honduras, and Turkey. Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, was contacted less frequently now that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan informed reporters on Saturday that “we have given up on him.”

The call for a truce and a statement of concern about the Israeli incursion in Gaza were crucial, according to South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor. She told reporters on Monday, “We feel that Israel’s response has turned into a form of collective punishment and we need to have this engagement with our officials because we are extremely concerned about the ongoing killing of children and innocent civilians in the Palestinian territory.”