Israel Condemns South Africa Over Hague Group Meeting On Middle East Conflict

Israel has strongly criticised South Africa following a recent meeting of the Hague Group, accusing Pretoria of siding with hostile actors and promoting an “anti-Israel agenda.”

In a statement released Thursday by the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israeli officials described South Africa’s role in organising the Hague-based coalition meeting as a “distorted anti-Israel meeting.”

“South Africa, a close ally of the murderous regime in Tehran, which slaughtered thousands of its own citizens, just organised another distorted anti-Israel meeting of the ‘Hague Group’. These two corrupt regimes, united by their hatred of Israel, recently held a joint naval exercise,” the statement read.

The statement also questioned the effectiveness of the meeting, mocking the expected outcomes and highlighting that some countries had distanced themselves from the forum.

“We can expect the outcome of the Hague meeting to be as successful as Iran’s navy, which is probably why Bolivia and Honduras had the sense to leave this forum,” it added.

The Hague Group, established in January 2025, includes South Africa, Bolivia, Cuba, Namibia, Malaysia, Senegal, Honduras, and Colombia. The coalition was formed to coordinate diplomatic and legal efforts on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to support international legal processes concerning the issue.

The group has convened multiple meetings involving dozens of countries to discuss measures related to the Gaza war and enforcement of international law in the ongoing conflict.

Meanwhile, the broader Middle East conflict has intensified. On Thursday, March 5, the war between Iran, Israel, and the United States entered its sixth day, with rising casualties reported across the region.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and several Iranian officials were reportedly killed in joint Israel-US strikes on Tehran on the conflict’s first day.

According to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, at least 1,045 people have died, including 175 schoolgirls and staff in a strike at a primary school in Minab on the first day of the war