Relationship dossier
Palestine
South Africa
Relationship assessment
Longstanding political solidarity, with South Africa a prominent advocate for Palestinian rights and statehood
Palestine toward South Africa
+35Palestinian political leadership has maintained longstanding solidarity with South Africa's liberation movement, particularly through historic ties between the Palestine Liberation Organization and the African National Congress. The scale of practical cooperation with the South African government is less clear.
South Africa toward Palestine
+60South Africa has consistently supported Palestinian statehood and rights and has pursued diplomatic action on the issue. In 2023, it initiated proceedings against Israel at the International Court of Justice, a prominent expression of its advocacy concerning Palestinians.
Overall relationship
+55The relationship has a durable political foundation in historic PLO–ANC solidarity and South Africa's sustained advocacy for Palestinian statehood and rights. South Africa's international legal action concerning Israel reinforces this alignment, while the extent of practical bilateral cooperation is less clear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Palestinian and South African relations are marked by longstanding political solidarity, rooted in ties between the Palestine Liberation Organization and the African National Congress. South Africa has been a prominent advocate for Palestinian statehood and rights, including by bringing a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in 2023. The breadth of practical bilateral cooperation is less clear.
Key developments
The Palestine Liberation Organization and the African National Congress maintained historic ties during South Africa's liberation struggle.
South Africa initiated proceedings against Israel at the International Court of Justice concerning the Genocide Convention and Gaza.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of practical bilateral agreements are unclear.
- The extent of current Palestinian government engagement with South Africa beyond political solidarity is unclear.