South Africa grants Putin and Brics leaders diplomatic immunity for summit
GuardianJun 04, 2023
The Facts
On Monday, South Africa called back all of its diplomats from Israel over its response to Hamas's Oct. 7 attack — which reportedly killed over 1.4K people and saw more than 240 taken hostage — joining a growing list of countries to take similar actions, including Bolivia, Jordan, and Bahrain, among others.
According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 10K, including over 4K children, with Pretoria claiming that Tel Aviv's Gaza bombardment amounts to the "collective punishment" of Palestinians.
The Spin
Pro-Palestine narrative
Removing all diplomatic personnel from Tel Aviv is a signal to Israel that Pretoria does not stand by its policies in Palestine and its illegal occupation. This move is a show of solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Pro-Israel narrative
This diplomatic action by South Africa is unacceptable. Tel Aviv expects Pretoria to condemn Hamas and support Israel's right to defend itself from a catastrophic assault by a terrorist group.
