Israeli embassy mocks Ramaphosa, calls boycott politics comment a ‘rare moment of wisdom’
The Israeli Embassy in South Africa has taken a thinly veiled jab at President Cyril Ramaphosa
Image: Jairus Mmutle/GCIS
The Israeli Embassy in South Africa has taken a thinly veiled jab at President Cyril Ramaphosa, calling his remark that “Boycott politics doesn’t work” a “rare moment of wisdom and diplomatic clarity."
Ramaphosa commented while responding to US President Donald Trump’s decision to skip the G20 summit in Johannesburg, calling the boycott “their loss” and saying it would not stop the meeting from going ahead.
Trump has said that he will skip the summit and that no US officials will attend because of his false claim that South Africa was committing a genocide against Afrikaners.
He also accused the government of confiscating land without compensation, and earlier this month said South Africa should not be part of the G20.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has consistently rejected what it called “false and misleading narratives” about conditions faced by white South Africans.
"The claim of a so-called ‘white genocide’ in South Africa was widely discredited and unsupported by reliable evidence,” DIRCO said. “Therefore, a programme designed to facilitate their immigration and resettlement as refugees is fundamentally flawed.”
In a post on X, the Israeli Embassy said Ramaphosa showed a “rare moment of wisdom.”
"A rare moment of wisdom and diplomatic clarity from President Ramaphosa: 'Boycott politics doesn’t work.” We totally agree…".
South Africa’s relationship with Israel has worsened in recent years, especially after it filed a case accusing Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice.
Deputy Director-General at the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (DIRCO), Clayson Monyela, said the embassy's behaviour was duly noted.
"You're clearly daring us with this undiplomatic [and] disrespectful behaviour. It's duly noted".
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