South Africa sought to have the term "genocide" included in the final declaration of last week’s BRICS summit in New Delhi to describe the situation in Gaza, but its effort was unsuccessful, according to a spokesperson from the Department of International Relations and Cooperation. While South Africa firmly considers the circumstances in Gaza as genocide, BRICS members ultimately refrained from adopting this language in the summit’s official document.

Chrispin Phiri, the ministry’s spokesman, said the declaration reflected the limits of consensus within the bloc on the Palestine issue. The 140-paragraph New Delhi Declaration endorsed several Palestinian positions, including support for statehood, opposition to forced displacement, and recognition of Palestinian refugees. It reaffirmed backing for a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital and called for Palestinian inclusion in international organizations and access to relevant resources. However, it stopped short of endorsing South Africa’s characterization of the Gaza conflict as genocide or its condemnation of what Pretoria described as an “illegal war against Iran.”

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa publicly called for accountability regarding the “ongoing genocide against the Palestinians” and criticized the conflict with Iran during his address at the summit. Despite this, the final declaration did not explicitly mention these terms. The document condemned the use of starvation in warfare, attacks on civilians, and barriers to humanitarian aid, while also noting South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and the court’s provisional measures, although it did not endorse Pretoria’s genocide allegation.

The declaration’s language and decisions came amid underlying tensions within BRICS on Middle Eastern issues. Iran, a bloc member long hostile to Israel, called for condemnation of Israel and the United States over military operations, while the United Arab Emirates, which has normalized ties with Israel since 2020, rejected such accusations. This difference had previously led to the failure of foreign ministers to issue a joint statement after a meeting in May.

Analysts suggest that the cautious tone of the final declaration stems from BRICS’ consensus-based decision-making process, which requires agreement among countries with divergent regional policies and alliances. Priyal Singh, a geopolitical analyst, noted that the inclusion of members with opposing perspectives on Israel and Palestine complicates efforts to adopt strong unified positions on contentious issues.

South Africa remains one of the bloc’s strongest critics of Israel, despite maintaining its support for a negotiated two-state solution. Relations between Pretoria and Israel have deteriorated in recent years, highlighted by South Africa’s recall of its ambassador in 2018 following Gaza border protests and parliamentary votes in 2023 to close Israel’s embassy, a step not yet implemented by the government. Pretoria also filed a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and expelled Israel’s chargé d’affaires in January. Israel responded by expelling South Africa’s representative in Ramallah.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry welcomed the BRICS declaration’s support for Palestinian rights, including opposition to forced displacement and endorsement of full UN membership. Palestinian officials praised South Africa’s consistent backing, both in international fora and through the International Court of Justice case.

Phiri emphasized that despite diplomatic ruptures, relations between South Africa and Israel need not be permanent and could improve if Israel complies with international legal rulings and pursues a two-state solution ensuring equal rights and security for both peoples.

Beyond diplomatic issues, BRICS affirmed South Africa’s founding membership status and offered political support amid tensions with the United States, which has curtailed assistance, imposed tariffs, and excluded South Africa from the G20 summit in Miami. The New Development Bank has also provided significant financial support to South Africa, including loans for infrastructure projects addressing water and sanitation challenges.

For South Africa, participation in BRICS provides strategic flexibility and engagement with influential global powers amid evolving international dynamics, even if the bloc’s influence on global policymaking remains limited.