Johannesburg – The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) has backed the motion passed in Parliament to close the Israeli embassy.
On Tuesday, SA’s Parliament voted to close the Israeli embassy in Pretoria and cut diplomatic ties over the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip, where, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, over 14 000 Palestinians – at least 5 000 of them children – have been killed.
In an overwhelming majority, South African parliamentarians passed a motion to close the Israeli embassy in South Africa by a vote of 248 in favour (EFF, ANC, PAC, Al Jama-ah, NFP, ATM) and 91 against (DA, IFP, FF+, ACDP).
MPs also voted to suspend the Israeli ambassador to SA.
SAFTU said it welcomed the decision saying it was “long overdue, given that the ethnic cleansing and human rights abuses have been underway and systematic since the establishment of the settlement in 1948”.
SATFU added: “The ties with Israel should have been severed decades ago when it became clear that the Zionist racist regime has no intentions of respecting the right for self-determination of the Palestinian people and the basic human rights.
“The apartheid state that is carrying out a genocide should be isolated from all angles, starting with diplomacy and following with the economic sanctions.”
The South African BDS Coalition has also welcomed the move that will see the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador to South Africa and shut down the Israeli embassy in Pretoria.
“There is no role for diplomacy with a settler-colonial apartheid state that is guilty of genocide against a population that it occupies. South Africa should not be having relations with a state that perpetrates war crimes with impunity, and treats the United Nations, international law, and the rest of the world with utter disdain,” said Roshan Dadoo, Coordinator of the SA BDS Coalition.
A day before the parliamentary vote, Apartheid Israel recalled its ambassador, Eliav Belotserkovsky, “for consultations”. We urge our government to act swiftly to implement the resolution of the National Assembly, and thus ensure that the apartheid ambassador will not return to our country.
The human rights NGO Africa4Palestine said it was joining all South Africans and all peace-loving citizens worldwide in welcoming the resolution to shut down the Israeli embassy in Pretoria.
