Cape Town — The South African government is still considering a decision on whether to shut down its embassy in Israel, in protest against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
The EFF’s Julius Malema submitted a motion in Parliament on Thursday calling for SA to withdraw its embassy from Israel and temporarily suspend diplomatic relations. The motion was backed by the ANC, the African Transformation Movement and Al Jama-ah ahead of the vote on Tuesday.
EWN reported on Friday that Candith Mashego-Dlamini, deputy minister of international relations and cooperation, said there were concerns that South Africa’s ability to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza might be affected by any embassy closure. However, she said there was a case to be made for closing the embassy.
The government has already recalled diplomats from Tel Aviv for consultations.
“Government is engaging all relevant stakeholders regarding our diplomatic relations with Israel, given the war crimes and genocide we are witnessing in Gaza.”
She added that Hamas also had to be investigated for war crime.
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