Israel–South Africa Relations

During the 1950s and 1960s, Israel became an open critic of the apartheid regime in South Africa, hoping to establish good relations with black-majority countries in Africa. However, most African countries severed ties with Israel in 1973 due to economic threats by oil-rich countries in the Arab world. This situation led Israel to deepen its diplomatic ties with South Africa throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

By 1986, Israel was the only democratic state that did not take part in most international sanctions imposed on apartheid South Africa by the international community. Nevertheless, the following year Israel joined the sanctions, mainly as a consequence of American pressure. After apartheid fell in 1994, relations remained cordial under Mandela, although they experienced a sharp deterioration since, with South Africa's position tilting in favor of the Palestinians, owing in part to a historic alliance between the African National Congress and the Palestine Liberation Organization. Israel currently maintains an embassy in Pretoria and a trade office in Johannesburg, while South Africa has an embassy in Tel Aviv.

Early relations: 1948–1994

1948–1949: South African recognition of Israel

South Africa was among the thirty-three states that voted in favour of the 1947 United Nations (UN) Partition Plan, which endorsed the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine