South African parliament. Photo: GCIS/Flickr.
The parliament voted to downgrade the South African embassy in Tel Aviv in solidarity with the Palestinian people
In the wake of increased violence against Palestinians by Israeli police and settlers, the South African national parliament voted on 7 March to downgrade the South African embassy in Tel Aviv in solidarity with the people of Palestine.
The National Freedom Party (NFP), a center-left party that holds two seats within the South African parliament, introduced the draft resolution for the proposal to downgrade relations with Israel, saying in a statement that anti-apartheid leader and former South African President Nelson Mandela would have supported this bill.
The NFP statement read: āThis is a moment [Mandela] would be proud of. He always said our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of Palestinians,ā adding that this bill would demonstrate South Africaās commitment to justice and human rights and will ārefuse to stand by while apartheid is being perpetrated again.ā
Palestine is Nearing its āSouth Africa Moment,ā Campaigners Declare
In recent years, relations between Cape Town and Tel Aviv have been strained over the South African governmentās constant criticism of Israelās human rights violations against the Palestinians. Last year, South Africa called on the international community toĀ declareĀ Israel an āapartheid stateā in response to the expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank.
During last monthās 36th ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Assembly, the regional bloc affirmed its ācomplete supportā for the State of Palestine.
In 2018, following Israelās harsh response to Palestinian rioters on the border with Gaza, South Africa recalled its Israeli ambassador in protest.
A year later, it downgraded its diplomatic ties with Israel and the embassy to the status of a liaison office.
The AU condemned ongoing IsraeliĀ crimesĀ against Palestinians, including forced evictions, extrajudicial detentions, illegal settlement expansion, andĀ apartheid.
This statement came just one day after an Israeli delegation was unceremoniouslyĀ bootedĀ from the summitās opening ceremony. The AU commission chief, Moussa Faki Mahamat, confirmed that Israelās observer status had been suspended since last year and that no Israeli officials were invited to the summit this year.
In 2021, Mahamat granted Israel observer status to the AU, causing an uproar across the pan-African bloc and sparking protests, particularly from Algeria and South Africa.
Tel Aviv blamed Iran and what it called a āhandful of extremist states like Algeria and South Africaā for the removal of the Israeli delegation from the recent AU session.
(The Cradle)
