Parliament has approved the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) motion to sever diplomatic ties with Israel and shut down the Israeli embassy in South Africa. The motion, led by EFF leader Julius Malema, faced a contentious debate in parliament on Tuesday.
The African National Congress (ANC) proposed an amendment to the motion, suggesting that the closure of the embassy should be temporary “until a ceasefire is agreed upon and both parties commit to binding United Nations facilitated negotiations whose outcome must be just and sustainable.”
ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina criticized opposition members, particularly from the Democratic Alliance (DA), Inkatha Freedom Party, Freedom Front Plus, and the African Christian Democratic Party, who opposed the removal of the Israeli embassy. The motion was eventually passed with the support of 248 MPs, while 91 voted against it.
Majodina accused the opposition benches of hypocrisy for advocating negotiations instead of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. She dismissed claims that Israel was the Holy Land and asserted that the current Israeli government, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, did not represent the ideals of Jesus.
The Israeli ambassador, Eliav Belotsercovsky, had been recalled by the Israeli government on Monday due to tensions with Pretoria over the conflict in Gaza.
Malema commended the ANC for its “maturity” in handling the matter. However, the DA and its allies argued that South Africa was undermining its role in peace negotiations and criticized the motion as “dictating the outcome of a negotiation between Israel and Hamas.”
The DA raised concerns about the impact on the 25,000 South Africans living in Israel, suggesting they would face difficulties reaching the South African embassy if diplomatic ties were severed.
The National Freedom Party’s Shaik Imam accused those voting against the motion of benefiting from Israeli funding, claiming it was motivated by financial interests.
Al Jama-ah’s Ganief Hendricks expressed a desire for the Israeli embassy to face the same fate as hospitals in Gaza, advocating for the removal of any memories of Israel in South Africa.
Malema, in presenting the motion, urged President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government to close the Israeli embassy and terminate all diplomatic relations with Israel, citing the need to uphold constitutional values until the human rights of Palestinians are respected.
He called for international isolation of Israel through boycotts, divestment, and sanctions until they end their military occupation and allow Palestinian refugees the right of return.
While Pretoria had previously withdrawn its diplomatic liaison team from Tel Aviv in 2018, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni clarified that there were no current government plans to sever diplomatic ties with Israel during a weekly post-cabinet media briefing.