South Africa will tighten its diplomatic cutoff with Israel by closing its embassy in Pretoria, in response to the Gaza crisis. The move is in line with growing wrath in Cape Town at Israel's military incursion into the Gaza Strip, likened by South African officials to the brutality of the apartheid regime. International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola, in Parliament, said the matter is now being weighed by Cabinet for a final ruling.
/*Cabinet Considers Embassy Closure*/
Ronald Lamola revealed on June 17, 2025, that the Cabinet had received a memorandum recommending the embassy's closure. The Israeli mission remains active in visa and travel matters, but its political and economic functions have effectively been downgraded . Lamola assured that the Cabinet would decide "before the end of the year" whether to fully abrogate diplomatic relations.
/*Parliamentary Pressure and ANC Unity*/
Parliament recently voted overwhelmingly, 248 to 91, last month on a motion calling for both the Israeli embassy closure and diplomatic relations suspension until a Gaza ceasefire is achieved. Introduced by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and seconded by the African National Congress (ANC), the motion is an overwhelming, bipartisan appeal for Palestinian solidarity.
/*Humanitarian Cost Behind Diplomatic Conflict*/
South Africa describes Israel's Gaza attack as genocidal, citing death tolls of more than 50,000 Palestinians primarily women and children by Gaza's Health Ministry. The government calls out Israel for ignoring an International Court of Justice (ICJ) call to desist from civilian massacres . Even while final death tolls in the latest escalation aren't cited, the nation's Health Ministry in Gaza tallied 150 deaths over 24 hours.
/*International Implications and Response*/
South Africa takes the issue to the ICJ, accusing Israel of genocide under the 1948 Genocide Convention. Israel flatly rejects the accusations of unjustified self-defense . The African Union, along with certain EU member states, supports South Africa's legal recourse. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has dismissed, however, the accusation of genocide as "meritless", as a reflection of polarized responses at the global level.
/*What's Next: In the Direction of a Diplomatic Break?*/
If the Cabinet approves the closure, South Africa would formally sever full diplomatic relations with Israel by December, but little embassy business could still be carried out. Unverified sanctions or additional legal action are still pending, including potential involvement in ICJ-ordered sanctions. The action makes South Africa one of the most vocal states and openly challenges Israel's Gaza policy.