ABC News
Nov 21,
2023. Posted by Balkan Periscope - Hellas
South African lawmakers voted on Tuesday in favor of closing down the Israeli embassy in Pretoria and suspending all diplomatic relations until a ceasefire is agreed in the country’s war with Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas in Gaza.
The day prior, Israel’s ambassador was recalled from his post for consultations after the vote had been announced.
The resolution is largely symbolic as it will be up to President Cyril
Ramaphosa’s government whether to implement it.
But Ramaphosa and senior foreign ministry officials have been vocally critical
of Israel’s leadership during its devastating military campaign against Hamas
in the densely populated Gaza Strip, calling on the International Criminal
Court to investigate them for potential war crimes.
On Monday, the Israeli ambassador in Pretoria was recalled to Tel Aviv for
consultations ahead of the vote, which on Tuesday was resoundingly adopted
by a 248-91 margin.
The bulk of the vote in favor came from the ruling social-democratic African
National Congress (ANC) and the opposition far-left (Marxist-Leninist) Economic
Freedom Fighters (EFF), with the latter being the one to initiate the motion.
The votes against came from MPs representing the center-to-right-wing parties:
Democratic Alliance (liberal), the Inkatha Freedom Party (KwaZulu regionalists,
conservative), Freedom Front Plus (Afrikaner minority), and the African
Christian Democratic Party (conservative).
South Africa has backed the Palestinian cause for statehood in
Israeli-controlled territories for decades, likening the plight of Palestinians
to those of the Black majority during the repressive apartheid era, a
comparison Israel vehemently refutes.
--