The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader, Julius Malema will lead a picket at the Israeli Embassy in solidarity with the people of Palestine on Monday. The party says there’s no reason for Israel’s ambassador to still be in the country.
The EFF is also questioning why South Africa still has economic ties with Israel. Thousands of civilians have been killed on both sides of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
In Gaza, a humanitarian crisis is unfolding, and a small convoy has entered the Gaza Strip from Egypt, carrying medicine and food supplies.
EFF Member of Parliament Nazier Paulsen says they are expecting many organisations and ordinary South Africans to join the picket.
“We welcome every progressive South African who feels for the humanitarian crisis that has been going on in the state of Palestine we call on them to show the govt. the disgust we that they still entertain strong relations with an apartheid state, diplomatically, culturally, and also economically. We are one of the biggest trade partners of an illegitimate state given our history it’s unthinkable that this has continued for years it shows the weakness of the ANC. South Africa has failed Palestine over and again and the eff will not allow that situation to persist,” Paulsen explains.
Like the EFF, some human rights activists as well as political parties including the ANC have expressed their support for the Palestinian people by organising demonstrations outside the Israeli embassy as the conflict in the Middle East intensifies.
‘We are open for a dialog’
The Israeli Ambassador to South Africa Eli Belotsercovsky says they are willing to receive anyone who wants to deliver a memorandum to their embassy in Pretoria.
Belotsercovsky says everyone is welcome to raise their concerns, as long as they are also willing to listen to the position of Israel as well.
“We are ready to talk to all political parties, all members of the society in SA and anywhere in the world provided that this conversation is going to be in a mutually respected way and we are ready to receive any letters, opinions, or whatever any of these parties or organisations want to provide us with or present us with. We are open for a dialog, this is our position we are not closing ourselves. I’m at the embassy most of the working week and I’m ready to receive any delegation that will come to say what they think but also to listen.”
