President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on the International Criminal Court to investigate Israel for war crimes committed in Gaza.
South Africa’s ruling party said it would support a parliamentary motion calling for the closure of the Israeli embassy in South Africa.
In a statement released on Thursday, the African National Congress (ANC) also welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s call for the International Criminal Court to investigate Israel for war crimes.
“In view of the atrocities taking place in occupied Palestine, the African National Congress will accept a parliamentary motion calling on the government to close the Israeli embassy in South Africa and suspend all diplomatic relations with Israel until he agrees to a ceasefire,” the statement said. .
The opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party will propose the motion later on Thursday, also calling for the suspension of all diplomatic relations with Israel in solidarity with the Palestinian people amid Israel’s war on Gaza. The motion will be voted on later.
The EFF motion is largely symbolic as it will be up to the Ramaphosa government whether to implement it. But ANC leader Ramaphosa and senior foreign ministry officials have sharply criticized Israeli leaders during their military campaign in Gaza, calling on the ICC to investigate them for possible war crimes.
Pretoria’s strong support for Palestine dates back decades to the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, of which the ANC was at the forefront. The country compares the plight of Palestinians to that of black South Africans under white minority rule, with former President Nelson Mandela saying in 1997: “We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.” »
WAR CRIMES MUST BE INVESTIGATED
The African National Congress welcomes President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement that our government has referred the matter to the International Criminal Court.#EndGenocide#FreePalestine pic.twitter.com/KKJPKtks3M
– African National Congress (@MYANC) November 16, 2023
“We as South Africa have therefore, along with many other countries around the world, referred the entire action of the Israeli government to the International Criminal Court,” Ramaphosa said on Wednesday during a state visit to Qatar.
“We filed a complaint because we believe war crimes are being committed there. And of course, we do not condone the actions taken earlier by Hamas, but equally, we condemn the actions currently underway and believe they warrant an ICC investigation,” he added.
Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas which governs Gaza have been at war for more than a month. Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people. Israel’s air and ground offensive has killed more than 11,300 Palestinians in Gaza.
South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor told Tel Aviv Tribune that Israel must stop “this real crime against humanity” in Gaza.
“We are appalled to see how this horror and tragedy continues to worsen. I think the world has seen enough, and it is time for the most powerful in the world to put an end to this horror that Israel is carrying out against the Palestinian people,” she said on Wednesday.
The Israeli occupation has “very, very clear similarities” with some of the practices that defined apartheid in South Africa, she added.
Earlier this month, South Africa recalled its diplomats from Israel, but it has not had an ambassador to Israel since 2018.