News - South Africa lawmakers vote to suspend diplomatic ties with Israel

South African lawmakers voted on Tuesday in favor of closing down the Israeli embassy in Pretoria and suspending all diplomatic relations with Israel until a ceasefire is agreed in its war with Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza, Reuters reported. The resolution is largely symbolic as it will be up to President Cyril Ramaphosa's government whether to implement it; a presidency spokesperson said Ramaphosa "notes and appreciates" parliament's guidance on South Africa's diplomatic relations with Israel, particularly on the status of the embassy. Ramaphosa and senior South African foreign ministry officials have been vocally critical of Israel's leadership during its devastating military campaign against Hamas in the densely populated Gaza Strip, calling on the International Criminal Court to investigate them for potential war crimes. On Monday, the Israeli ambassador in Pretoria was recalled to Tel Aviv for consultations ahead of the aforesaid vote, which on Tuesday was adopted by a 248-91 margin. The parliamentary resolution was brought by the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party last week when the governing African National Congress pledged to support what has been a central diplomatic stance for South Africa since Nelson Mandela became the country's first democratically elected president in 1994. South Africa has backed the Palestinian cause for statehood in Israeli-occupied territories for decades, likening the plight of Palestinians to those of the Black majority during the repressive apartheid-era, a comparison Israel vehemently denies.