EFF calls on Ramaphosa to implement Parliament’s resolution on Israel

FILE | A view of an Israeli flag outside the Israeli embassy in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to implement a resolution that was taken in Parliament to end diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv and close Israel’s embassy.

The EFF’s motion in Parliament in 2023 was passed after a heated debate.

At that time, the African National Congress (ANC) had called for the motion to be amended to state that the embassy closure would only last until a ceasefire was agreed upon, and both parties committed to UN-facilitated negotiations with a just and sustainable outcome.

EFF’s Head of International Relations Nqobile Mhlongo has condemned Israel’s naval interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla.

Mhlongo says, “We are really worried about the people who are part of the Sumud Flotilla who have now been captured by the apartheid Israeli forces, while they are carrying hope for millions of people in Gaza. Those people in the Sumud Flotilla were carrying only baby formula, disposable nappies, food and medication. How then do you attack such people who are not posing a threat to anybody?

Global backlash

Israel is facing global backlash after its military intercepted a flotilla of nearly 40 boats carrying aid to Gaza, detaining over 450 foreign activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg.

Deputy Head of Mission at the Israeli embassy in South Africa, Ariel Seidman says the activists are doing very well, are being looked after, and will be deported to Europe.

He says the flotilla was a PR stunt rather than a humanitarian mission, adding that while there’s no set timeline for their release, they will be freed.