JOHANNESBURG, South Africa
A majority of South African
lawmakers on Tuesday voted in favor of a motion calling for the closure of the
Israeli embassy and the cutting of diplomatic ties until Israel agrees to a
cease-fire in Gaza.President Cyril Ramaphosa, left, receives the Ambassador of the State of Israel, Eliav Belotserkovsky, January 25, 2022
The vote on the motion
supported by the ruling African National Congress party came as President Cyril
Ramaphosa in a meeting with other world leaders accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza with its
military offensive in the beseiged territory in search of its Hamas militant
rulers.
The motion tabled by the
opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters received the support of 248
parliament members while 91 lawmakers opposed it.
The vote came after Israel’s
foreign ministry said it had recalled its ambassador to South Africa, Eliav
Belotserkovsky, back to Jerusalem “for consultations.”
The two countries’ diplomatic
relations have witnessed a rise in tensions over the war in Gaza. Ramaphosa
previously said his country believes Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza,
where thousands of Palestinians have been killed.
South Africa announced last week that it had referred what it called Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza to the International Criminal Court for an investigation. Its cabinet has called on the ICC to issue an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Earlier this month, South
Africa recalled its ambassador to Israel and withdrew all its
diplomatic staff.
Ramaphosa’s new comments
Tuesday came in a virtual meeting of BRICS countries attended by leaders of the
bloc including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi
Jinping.
The Israel-Hamas war began
after the Palestinian militant group’s surprise attacks on Israel on Oct.7 killed about 1,200 people. Israel’s
retaliatory strikes on Gaza have killed more than 12,700 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.
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