ANC MP Mandla Mandela and anti-apartheid activist Allan Boesak have welcomed the decision by government to recall embassy officials from Israel, but said more could be done.
Mandela said the recall of the embassy officials must be followed by the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador Eliav Belotserkovsky and cutting off all diplomatic ties with Israel.
Boesak said the withdrawal of diplomatic staff from Tel Aviv was the first step, and this should be followed by the shutting down of the Israeli embassy and cutting ties with Tel Aviv.
Mandela said on Monday that the decision by government to withdraw diplomatic staff was long overdue.
“Today's confirmation of the recall is long overdue, and we applaud the Presidency and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation for this decisive action. We appeal to them to follow this up with expelling the apartheid Israeli ambassador and cutting all diplomatic ties in light of the flagrant disregard for international law, basic humanity, and regard for the value of human life as outlined in the Geneva Convention,” said Mandela.
He said they will continue to mobilise South Africans until government has expelled the ambassador of Israel and cut ties with Tel Aviv.
Mandela also said he hoped this decision by government would send a message to the international community that South Africa stands with Palestine.
Boesak said while they welcome the decision to withdraw embassy staff from Israel, they believe this is not the end.
He said South Africans have been calling for government to act against Israel by closing down the Israeli embassy.
He said the attacks launched by Israel in the Gaza Strip were devastating, and this has led to the destruction of infrastructure. Thousands of innocents have been killed. He said even Save the Children said more children have been killed in Gaza than in all the wars across the world since 2019. More than 3,000 children have been killed in Gaza in the last few weeks.
Boesak said not even refugee camps were spared from the airstrikes, and they have been targeted in bombings.
He said that out of the four demands that the people have made to government, only one has been met.
The people demanded the shut down of the Israeli embassy, the cutting of ties with Tel Aviv, the recall of diplomatic staff, and declaring Israel an apartheid state.
“Only one demand has been responded to thus far. The rest resolutely still stands. Now is not the time for delay. Neither is it time for South Africa’s people to step back as if the situation is now normal. This tepid response of the ANC government does not reflect the seriousness of the crisis of life and death in Palestine, the crisis of conscience for us, or the will of the people. Timidity and incrementalism are not the ways in which South Africa should respond to the cold-blooded murder of innocents,” said Boesak.
Politics