South Africa’s Parliament Votes to Sever Ties with Israel over Gaza War
The motion, which is not binding on the government, was supported by the ruling African National Congress and the left-wing opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters, and opposed by the centrist, pro-Israel Democratic Alliance.
The motion passed with 248 votes in favour and 91 votes against and it came after the Israeli regime recalled its ambassador from South Africa “for consultations”.
South Africa, which has not had an ambassador in Israel since 2018, has been a vocal critic of Israel’s policies towards the Palestinians, whom it supports in their quest for statehood.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said he believes Israel has committed war crimes and genocide in Gaza, where more than 14,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli air and ground attacks, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
South Africa, which endured decades of apartheid rule until 1994, has often drawn parallels between the Israeli occupation and its own former system of racial segregation and oppression.
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In recent years, several international human rights groups have also said that Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians amounts to apartheid.
South Africa also hosted a virtual summit of BRICS nations on Tuesday. The group of emerging economies, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, called for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities” in Gaza.
Source: Agencies
