South Africa’s parliament has passed a resolution calling on the government to close the embassy of Israel in the country, accusing it of being an “apartheid state” and committing war crimes and genocide in Gaza. The resolution, which is not legally binding, was supported by the ruling African National Congress, but opposed by 91 lawmakers from opposition parties.
The resolution was proposed by Julius Malema, a lawmaker from the EFF opposition party, who said that Israel had violated international law and human rights by launching a ground offensive in Gaza on October 27. The offensive was aimed at destroying Hamas’s command and control structure, which Israel claims is located underneath the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. Israel also accused Hamas of killing 1,200 people in Israel and abducting 240 others on October 7, among other war crimes.
The resolution said that Palestinians have suffered “apartheid” by Israel and demanded that Israel agree to a ceasefire and commit to binding United Nations facilitated negotiations for a just, sustainable and lasting peace. It also urged the government to close the Israeli embassy in South Africa until these conditions are met.
The vote came after South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza as a “genocide” and hosted a virtual meeting of BRICS, a group of major emerging economies that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, to discuss a common response to the Israel-Hamas war. Ramaphosa also criticized Hamas for the October 7 massacres and said both sides were guilty of violating international law.
South Africa has recalled all its diplomats from Israel, while Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it had also recalled its ambassador to Pretoria for consultations.
The resolution reflects the deteriorating bilateral relationship between South Africa and Israel, which have historically been at odds over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. South Africa has been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause and has often compared Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to its own experience of apartheid. Meanwhile, Israel has disregarded these comparisons and accused South Africa of being biased and anti-Semitic.
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