Israeli rugby team uninvited from South African tournament

SA Rugby president Mark Alexander said only that the decision had been taken after “we listened to the opinions of important stakeholder groups.”

The South African government has become a vocal critic of Israel, often accusing the Jewish state of practicing “apartheid.”

Pretoria downgraded its embassy in Tel Aviv in 2019 and pulled out its ambassador.

President Isaac Herzog last month slammed as a “blood libel” comparison of Israel’s policies towards the Palestinians to South African apartheid.

“It is a dangerous and intensifying terrorism, since the legitimacy of the State of Israel and the justification of its existence is directly related to its ability to protect itself and hence they are trying to undermine this ability,” he said.