TheCable

Yusuf Tuggar, minister of foreign affairs, says diplomacy should be at the centre of the tensions between South Africa and Israel.

Tuggar spoke to Arise TV on the sidelines of the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, in a clip posted on Tuesday.

Following the October 7 attack by Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, Israeli forces have carried out sustained attacks on Gaza, dividing the international community.

While some have condemned Israel for carrying out attacks that have claimed the lives of nearly 25,000 civilians, others have insisted that Israel has a right to defend itself from terrorist attacks.

Two weeks ago, the South African government filed a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The former apartheid country argued that the Israeli government’s attack on Gaza, and especially the actions of its forces within Gaza were genocidal.

Israel rejected the accusations, alleging that South Africa was conniving with terrorists to bring down the Jewish nation.

Some countries have voiced support for South Africa’s case at the ICJ, including Brazil, Turkey, the 22-member alliance of the Arab League, Pakistan, the Maldives, Namibia, and Bolivia.

The United States and the United Kingdom have kicked against the move.

Nigeria has, however, maintained neutrality, urging both sides to exercise restraint and protect civilians.

“Diplomacy is not being allowed to play the role that it should,” Tuggar told Arise TV.

“And also we’re living in a different era where social media plays a very critical role in shaping narratives and that’s why we need to get back to what diplomats used to do.”

The minister added that governments need to allow diplomats to take the lead in talking to each other to avert conflicts.