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JERUSALEM, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Israel's Foreign Ministry reprimanded South Africa's deputy ambassador to Israel Monday, during a high-profile Hamas official visit to the country.
Khaled Mashal, Hamas' political leader since 2004, was invited to participate in a conference of South Africa's ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), and will meet South African President Jacob Yuma.
ANC said the conference will discuss "Palestinian identity issues, in addition to an independent, sovereign Palestinian state, free from Israeli occupation."
In response, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said this event supports terrorism, expressing its "shock and fury" over it.
"This invitation propels and encourages terrorism, blatantly disregarding the international community's stance, which views Hamas as a terrorist organization," Israel said.
Israel considers Hamas as a terrorist organization, fighting it repeatedly in the past few years during battles in the Gaza Strip which has been under Hamas control since 2007.
The United States and several other countries also consider Hamas a terrorist organization.
Israeli media reported Monday that Hamas called on organization members to carry out suicide bombing attacks against Israelis.
This method was profusely used mainly throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, around the time of the second Palestinian intifada.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry also summoned the French ambassador to Israel, Patrick Maisonnave, to express its disdain over a French proposal to place international observers at east Jerusalem's flashpoint, the site of the holy al-Aqsa mosque compound.
Israel occupied the West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast War.
The al-Aqsa mosque compound, known as the Noble Sanctuary to Muslims and the Temple Mount to Jews, is a holy site for both faiths, and has been the source of ongoing clashes since September.
The protests developed into a wave of violence and attacks across Israeli and Palestinian territories, resulting in the death of nine Israelis and over 40 Palestinians, some of whom were alleged attackers, while others died during violent clashes with Israel's security forces.
