PRETORIA, Nov 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The South African parliament voted in favor of a motion to shut down the Israeli embassy in Pretoria and suspend all diplomatic relations with Israel until it agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza.
A total of 248 members of the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, voted in favor of the non-binding motion, while 91 lawmakers opposed it.
The motion was tabled by the opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters, and was backed by the ruling African National Congress.
The main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), and several other parties voted against the motion, which still passed with the support of the ruling African National Congress party (ANC), which has a majority in the 400-seat chamber.
The parliament said the measures will be in place until Israel agrees to a ceasefire and participates in UN-facilitated negotiations.
“The Israeli Embassy should remain closed until they agree to a cease-fire,” ANC chief whip in parliament Pemmy Majodina said on Tuesday.
“The ongoing war is not a religious war like some people here in parliament want us to believe,” she also told the house, while some lawmakers chanted “Free Free Palestine.”
Genocide under the watch of the international community cannot be tolerated. Another holocaust in the history of humankind is not acceptable,” Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni told reporters earlier this month.
The Tuesday vote came after Israel recalled on Monday its ambassador to South Africa, Eliav Belotserkovsky, “for consultations.”
Also on Tuesday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa chaired a BRICS extraordinary virtual summit on the Palestinian-Israeli issue.
South Africa announced last week that it had referred Israel to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes investigation. Its cabinet also called on the ICC to issue arrest warrants for all those involved, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Earlier this month, South Africa recalled all of its diplomats from its embassy in Israel. — NNN-AGENCIES
