BRICS do not generally support Israel but South Africa took it a step further by effectively cutting diplomatic ties.
On Monday, November 20th, the majority of South African lawmakers voted in favor of a motion, supported by the ruling African National Congress party, calling for the closure of the Israeli embassy and the severing of diplomatic ties until Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza. Notably, the motion was tabled by the opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters and received the support of 248 parliament members, while 91 lawmakers opposed it.
This motion came a few days after the South African president Cyril Ramaphosa accused Israel of war crimes and acts tantamount to genocide in Gaza during a virtual meeting with world leaders, including Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping. Ramaphosa condemned Hamas for its attack on Israeli civilians, stating that both sides were violating international law. He described the collective punishment of Palestinian civilians by Israel as a war crime and accused Israel of deliberately denying essential supplies to Gaza residents, equating it to genocide.
Before the motion, Israel had already recalled its ambassador to South Africa, Eliav Belotserkovsky, for “consultations”.
