Emerging Diplomatic Crisis: Is Israel Facing a 'South Africa Moment' Over Gaza?

Tue Sep 23 2025 09:09:10 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

With increasing international condemnation and sanctions against its policies in Gaza, Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu grapples with a growing diplomatic crisis that could reshape the nation's global standing.

As the conflict in Gaza intensifies, Israel finds itself in a precarious situation reminiscent of South Africa during the apartheid era. Diplomatic isolation grows, with potential boycotts and sanctions from several countries, prompting discussions about Israel's future on the world stage. Former officials express concern over the country's shift towards a pariah status, questioning whether Netanyahu's government can weather this storm or if substantial changes are necessary to salvage Israel's international standing.

As the war in Gaza grinds on, Israel's international isolation appears to be deepening.

Is it approaching a South Africa moment, when a combination of political pressure, economic, sporting and cultural boycotts helped to force Pretoria to abandon apartheid?

Or can the right-wing government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu weather the diplomatic storm, leaving Israel free to pursue its goals in Gaza and the occupied West Bank without causing permanent damage to its international standing?

Two former prime ministers, Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert, have already accused Netanyahu of turning Israel into an international pariah.

Thanks to a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, the number of countries Netanyahu can travel to without the risk of being arrested has shrunk dramatically.

At the UN, several countries, including Britain, France, Australia, Belgium, and Canada, have said they are planning to recognize Palestine as a state next week.

And Gulf countries, reacting with fury to last Tuesday's Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Qatar, have been meeting in Doha to discuss a unified response, with some calling on countries which enjoy relations with Israel to reconsider their stance.

But with images of starvation emerging from Gaza over the summer and the Israeli army poised to invade - and quite possibly destroy - Gaza City, more and more European governments are showing their displeasure in ways that go beyond mere statements.

Even Netanyahu admitted on Monday that Israel is facing a kind of economic isolation on the world stage.

Speaking at a finance ministry conference in Jerusalem, he blamed the isolation on negative publicity abroad, and said Israel needed to invest in influence operations in traditional and social media to counteract it.

Since the start of the month, Belgium announced a series of sanctions, including a ban on imports from illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank, a review of procurement policies with Israeli companies, and restrictions on consular assistance to Belgians living in settlements.

It also declared two hardline Israeli government ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, persona non grata, along with Jewish settlers accused of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

Other countries, including Britain and France, had already taken similar steps. But sanctions on violent settlers imposed by the Biden administration last year were scrapped on Donald Trump's first day back in office.

In subsequent weeks, Spain announced its own measures that turned an existing de facto arms embargo into law, barring entry to Spanish territory for anyone involved in genocide or war crimes in Gaza, and prohibiting Israel-bound ships and aircraft carrying weapons from docking at Spanish ports or entering its airspace.

Meanwhile, Norway's vast $2 trillion sovereign wealth fund announced it would begin divesting from companies listed in Israel due to the situation in Gaza, indicating that more companies may follow suit.

Amidst this increasing isolation, there are signs that cultural and sporting boycotts are re-emerging, which could further aggravate Israel's position on the global stage.

As Israel navigates these turbulent waters, the question looms whether it can shift away from the path of becoming an international pariah, or if significant changes in policy are required to alter its perception globally.