South African lawmakers vote to suspend diplomatic ties with Israel and shut embassy
South Africa
South African lawmakers on Tuesday (Nov 21) voted in favour of closing down the Israeli embassy in Pretoria. They also finalised suspending all diplomatic relations until a ceasefire is agreed in the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The vote on Tuesday was adopted by a 248-91 margin.
This was announced hours before Israel and Hamas agreed ona deal which would lead to the release ofat least 50 Israeli hostages and scores of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons. The deal also allowed the Gaza residents to have a four-day truce - a brief relief from the deadly airstrikes.
Israel, Hamas, the United States, and Qatar set out a meticulously sequenced agreement, that had been weeks in the making, in a series of announcements.
Meanwhile, the resolution is mostly symbolic, as it will be up to President Cyril Ramaphosa's government to follow it.
A representative for the president stated that Ramaphosa "notes and appreciates" parliament's instructions on South Africa's diplomatic relations with Israel.
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As quoted by news agency Reuters, Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson to the President of South Africa said, "The president and cabinet are engaged over the matter, which remains the responsibility of the national executive."
The Israeli ambassador in Pretoria was recalled to Tel Aviv on Monday for consultations ahead of the vote.
Watch: Israel cabinet approves hostage deal; Netanyahu says, '4-days truce deal right decision'
BRICS countries discuss Gaza conflict
The leaders of the BRICS group of developing countries and those countries asked to join next year discussed the ongoing war and West Asia crisis, but failed to reach an agreement on a joint declaration.
The virtual meetings, hosted by South Africa, were the first between the organisation's leaders since Israel retaliated after a surprise attack by Hamas on October 7.
BRICS comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. In August, the grouping agreed to admit Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina and the United Arab Emirates from January.
Ramaphosa told Tuesday's talks that diplomats did not have sufficient time to draft a declaration. In his summary of the discussions, Ramaphosa said: "We've called upon all parties to exercise maximum restraint. We affirmed ... that a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict can be achieved by peaceful means."