National Assembly votes in favour of closing Israeli embassy
The National Assembly on Tuesday adopted a motion for South Africa to suspend all diplomatic relations with Israel and close its embassy in Pretoria.
The motion was tabled by EFF leader Julius Malema last week as a response to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, during which both sides have been accused of committing human rights violations.
On Tuesday, ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina called for the motion to be amended to state that the closure of the embassy would last "until a ceasefire is agreed to by Israel and Israel commits to binding United Nations-facilitated negotiations whose outcome must be a just sustainable and lasting peace".
Malema agreed to the ANC's proposed amendment and thanked the governing party for the "maturity" in dealing with issues of humanity.
The motion was passed with the support of 248 votes to 91 with no abstentions.
The NFP, PA, and Al Jama-ah also supported the amended motion.
However, the DA, IFP, FF Plus, and ACDP objected to the motion arguing that it was a short-sighted move that would exclude South Africa from any peace talks.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR SA
In a statement released on Tuesday evening, Parliament clarified that the motion only serves as an official expression of the will of Parliament.
Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will now take the resolution to the attention of President Cyril Ramaphosa and the relevant or affected government department.
"This serves as a formal communication channel between the legislative and executive branches of government.
"Resolutions adopted by Parliament are generally not binding on the government and this is rooted in the doctrine of the separation of powers.
"Parliament, as the legislative branch, may express its views through resolutions, but it cannot dictate executive decisions.
"The only way its resolutions may be binding, in this context, is through a piece of legislation," explained spokesperson Moloto Mothapo.
Mothapo said while the resolutions are not legally binding, they hold significant importance in the democratic process.
"They represent the collective voice of the elected representatives of the people and reflect the concerns and aspirations of the citizenry.
"The government, therefore, must take resolutions seriously, considering them as valuable input into policy-making and governance.
"Although resolutions may not be binding, they should not be ignored by the government without reasonable justification."
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