South Africa’s relations with Israel will remain

Sibusiso Banda

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has reiterated South Africa will not be considering suspending its diplomatic relations with Israel despite local pressure to do so

Ramaphosa, answering questions in the National Council of Provinces, told MPs "maintaining diplomatic relations with Israel allows our country to continue to engage with Israel on issues of mutual interest, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

"The government of South Africa has communicated its unequivocal and strongest condemnation of Israeli against Palestinians in Gaza to the government of the state of Israel, and we have done this through a number of measures.” he said.

The Deputy President said the country will lose Top of Formits leverage to mediate in the Middle East if it heeds to calls to cut ties. He explained that the ties enabled President Jacob Zuma to deploy two special envoys, led by former minister Zola Skweyiya and deputy minister Aziz Pahad, to the Middle East for talks with both sides to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

A long-term ceasefire has been agreed between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. The truce, ending a catastrophic seven weeks of fighting that has left more than 2,200 people - mostly Palestinians - dead, was brokered by Egypt.

Meanwhile, there had been various pro-Palestinians protest and calls for the end of Gaza conflict, expulsion of Israel’s ambassador to South Africa and a boycotting pro-Israeli stores in the country.

Ramaphosa said government believes that violence will not bring a solution and that a ceasefire agreement reached would pave way for talks.

“It is our conviction that there will be no military solution to the current challenges facing Israel and Palestine. Only a negotiated settlement will bring about a lasting endurable solution to the problems facing the Middle East’

He said South Africa wanted to see a permanent settlement coming out of Gaza. He stated that our country’s 1994 democratic negotiated settlement could be used as a casing point to see the power that talks has.

“South Africa has developed a particular DNA when it comes to settling conflicts, and that DNA is conflicts are settled through negotiation; by people sitting around one table to find a solution.”

“This is what has brought us where we are” he added