Ramaphosa should 'hurry up and shut' Israeli embassy, Mbalula tells pro-Palestine protest

Thousands of protesters marched through the streets of Cape Town on Saturday and called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to shut down Israel's embassy in South Africa in protest against the ongoing attacks in Gaza.

The ANC, the PAC and other political parties joined the Muslim Judicial Council of SA, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the Al-Quds Foundation of SA, the SA Communist Party and other organisations as they gathered in solidarity with the Palestinians.

The marchers were joined by ANC’s secretary-general Fikile Mbalula and ANC MP inkhosi Mandla Mandela who demanded the Israeli embassy be shut down.

Mbalula said the conflict between the two states was not a war but a genocide of innocent people. 

“The world must see that here in South Africa and in Cape Town we are for the liberation of the people of Palestine and we are saying the genocide must stop right now. Our government has shown signs of movements. We are saying, President Ramaphosa, we appreciate this but you must move faster. We are sick and tired of the apartheid Israel and we must demonstrate that with our actions,” he said.

Mandela encouraged Hamas and other Palestinian Islamic jihadist groups to intensify their fight for freedom.

“They may bomb you every day but each and every one of you that stops breathing, we will mobilise the entire international community and be your voice. We are here to ensure that the Palestinians are supported ... We call on all Arab nations ... to support Hamas and Palestinian resistance movements until they attain liberation,” he said.

National Freedom Party (NFP) MP and parliamentary leader Ahmed Munzoor Shaik Emam said the party made a submission two weeks ago calling for the Israel embassy to be shut down and the Israeli ambassador's expulsion from South Africa.

“We are not only recalling the discussion with the ambassador but for the embassy to shut down completely ... There is no more negotiations. Many agreements have been entered into over the last number of years and all we are asking them to do is to implement them. The Palestinians are still willing to work with Israel to live side by side in a two-state solution,” he said.

The UN Security Council met again on Friday to discuss the ongoing conflict between the two states and how to reach consensus over the violence in Gaza.

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