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Downgrade of SA embassy in Israel to go ahead
The South African government is continuing with the downgrading of its relations with Israel, International Relations and Cooperation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu said on Wednesday night.
NICOLA MILTZ
Sisulu was responding to questions following her address on South African foreign-policy priorities and key international events hosted by the South African Institute of International Affairs, which was held at its head office at the University of the Witwatersrand.
Before a packed hall of ambassadors, diplomats, and foreign media, Sisulu said: “We are putting together a programme of downgrading our relations with Israel in line with the resolutions that were taken by the ANC. We have a programme put in place that we will place before the ANC in response to their demand and the resolution they have taken.
“We will also look at the legal implications of the agreements that we currently have with Israel, if there are any, and any other administrative repercussions that come out of that.
“The first thing that we have done is we no longer have an ambassador in Israel. We now operate at the level of a liaison office, so the liaison officer will deal with all our diplomatic matters in Israel.”
She said the ambassador to Israel, Sisa Ngombane, who was recalled to Pretoria in May last year, was still officially “ambassador until such time as we have adopted fully the resolutions of the ANC”.
Sisulu spoke about South Africa’s role at the United Nations. She explained that on 8 June 2018, South Africa was elected to a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council (UNSC) by 183 votes. This would be valid for the 2019-2020 period.
“The increased number of votes for South Africa was a signal of confidence by the international community. This heralded a new dawn in South Africa’s diplomacy. It provided an opportunity for a recalibrated engagement with other nations of the world,” said Sisulu.
“We took the opportunity in September last year to use our status as observers to attend meetings of the council, even though it was not necessary. We did it to introduce ourselves and to show that we have a hands-on approach to our work.”
She said the government had chosen a theme for the country’s tenure: “Continuing the Legacy: Working for a Just and Peaceful World”.
“We will utilise our membership of the UNSC to place emphasis on and prioritise the importance of women, peace, and security.”