South Africa will call in Israel's ambassador to issue him with a "demarche", or formal reprimand, a senior foreign policy official said on Wednesday, potentially deepening divisions between the two countries over the war in Gaza.
South Africa recalled its diplomats from Israel earlier this week to assess its relationship with the country as the death toll among Palestinians has claimed to over 10,000 in Gaza due to war-related violence.
South Africa criticized Israeli ambassador Eliav Belotsercovsky on Monday over public comments he made, but did not specify what they were about.
"The demarche will be asked for hopefully by today. Not sure when he will come in," Zane Dangor, the director-general of South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation, told Reuters in a text message.
Dangor gave no further details of the demarche, a protest issued through diplomatic channels, and did not specify the reason for the reprimand.
South Africa has long history of rallying behind Palestinians
"The ambassador of Israel has been making a number of comments ... without having had any discussion with senior members of the government of South Africa," the country’s Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said on Monday.
"I don't know if it's because (this is) an African country and they disrespect us, but it's something that we should not tolerate."
Israel's embassy in South Africa did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
South Africa has long rallied behind Palestinians, likening their plight to South Africa's before the end of apartheid in 1994. Israel has rejected criticism that it has established a system of apartheid.
Asked in parliament on Wednesday whether she had tabled a proposal to expel the Israeli ambassador, Pandor said that she had not.
FM says expelling Israeli ambassador still on the table
"As to expulsion, there is no decision with respect to that at this moment," she said. "Should such a decision be made, we would... make the necessary announcement.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Monday accused South Africa of rewarding Hamas for its killing of over 1,400 people and its seizure of over 240 hostage when it infiltrated into Southern Israel on October 7.
“Israel expects South Africa to condemn the murderous terrorist organization Hamas, which is worse than ISIS, and to support Israel's right to defend itself against an attack by a terrorist organization that has engraved on its flag the destruction of the State of Israel,” the Foreign Ministry said.
In Europe, Belgium’s deputy prime minister Petra De Sutter called on her government Wednesday to adopt sanctions against Israel and investigate the bombings of hospitals and refugee camps in Gaza.
“It is time for sanctions against Israel. The rain of bombs is inhumane," Deputy Prime Minister De Sutter told Nieuwsblad newspaper. “It is clear that Israel does not care about the international demands for a ceasefire,” she said.
De Sutter said the European Union should immediately suspend its association agreement with Israel, which aims at better economic and political cooperation.
She also said an import ban on products from occupied Palestinian territories should be implemented and violent settlers, politicians, soldiers responsible for war crimes should be banned from entering the EU.
At the same time, she said, Belgium should increase funding for the International Criminal Court in The Hague to investigate the bombings while cutting money flows to Hamas.
“This is a terrorist organization. Terror costs money and there must be sanctions on the companies and people who provide Hamas with money," De Sutter said.