Cape Town - Parliament has heard that South Africa was considering further steps to help end the attacks on Palestine by Israel.
This as the UN Council was unable to stop the onslaught, Deputy Minister of International Relations and Co-operation KC Mashego-Dlamini said.
Introducing the EFF’s motion in a mini-plenary session yesterday for the removal of Israel’s embassy from South Africa and suspension of all diplomatic relations with Israel, EFF leader Julius Malema said Israel’s violence against Palestine has been perpetuated for decades.
“Our call is based on the brutal and inhumane violence that the apartheid state of Israel has unleashed on the people of Gaza over the past several weeks.
“This violence has left over 11000 Palestinians massacred in an unprecedented military bombardment of unarmed and helpless innocent civilians in the entire human history.
“In this inhumane bombardment the Israel Defence Forces had murdered 4 650 children, 3 145 women, 198 medics, 22 civil defence personnel and 51 journalists.
“Reports also indicated that 29 200 Palestinians in Gaza are injured.
“Above all, at least 3 600 people remain unaccounted for. Many will try to defend the defenceless situation in that country. But we all know this is not defensible.
“We call on the Ramaphosa, ANC government to shut down the Israeli embassy in Pretoria and end diplomatic relations with the brutal apartheid Israel regime.”
Mashego-Dlamini said Israel continued to undermine international laws. She called on the International Criminal Court to expedite its investigation of Israel human rights abuses in the region
“Parliament voted on March 7 this year to downgrade the SA embassy in Israel and number of parties agreed to that motion by the NPF, except the DA, the ACDP, IFP and Freedom Front Plus.
“The UN Security Council has proved incapable of stopping the carnage. the SA government is considering further concrete action to take.”
At the start of November, the South African government took a decision to recall all its diplomats from Tel Aviv, Israel, while Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, expressed the government’s disappointment at the refusal of the Israeli government to respect international law and its continued undermining of the UN resolutions for the implementation of a ceasefire.
She further condemned the Israeli ambassador to South Africa for remarks made.