Parliament
The National Assembly has approved a motion to sever diplomatic ties with Israel and close the Israeli Embassy in South Africa.
This comes after the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) tabled the motion last week.
The motion was voted by 248 votes for motion and 91 against it.
It was supported by the African National Congress (ANC), the National Freedom Party (NFP), Al-Jamah, the African Transformation Movement (ATM), the Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC).
The 91 MPs from the DA, IFP, the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) and the Freedom Front Plus (FF+) opposed the motion.
“We welcome the resolution in light of the continued annexation of Palestinian land, killing of women and children in Gaza, construction of settler-houses on Palestinian land, land dispossession and bombing of hospitals in Gaza, all by apartheid-Israel.”
The motion was brought by the EFF after Israel launched a brutal counter-offensive in Gaza following the attacks by Hamas on 7 October.
Israel has come under criticism for its bombing of hospitals and schools, with many women and children becoming casualties.
The motion was debated in Parliament last week. The NFP, Al Jamah-ah and the Good party backed the red berets’ motion while the DA, IFP, ACDP and FF+ rejected it.
Parliament says the measures will be in place until Israel agrees to a ceasefire and participates in UN-facilitated negotiations.
