The third biggest political party in South Africa, the Economic Freedom Fighters, on Tuesday morning held a protest outside the Israeli embassy in the capital, Pretoria against the ongoing hostilities in the middle east.
The leader of the Party, Julius Malema once again called for the closure of the embassy after saying Israel’s government had ‘no respect for humanity’.
Mr Malema also urged retailers in the country to remove Israeli-produced goods from their shelves by the end of October.
“If they don’t remove products from Israel, we’ll remove them ourselves. We don’t want Israeli products sold in South Africa, we don’t want food from people who have the blood of innocent people on their hands,” said Mr Malema.
The governing African National Congress (ANC) held a similar picket outside Israel’s embassy on Friday.
Read Also: To Improve Air Safety, Nigeria, South Africa Sign New Deal
ANC Deputy Secretary General Nomvula Mokonyane called on South Africans to boycott imports from Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians.
Ms Mokonyane also reiterated South Africa’s calls for an immediate ceasefire to hostilities in the Middle East.
Last week, a spokeswoman for the ANC Women’s League resigned, accusing the party of failing to see the “Jewish side of the story” in the Israel-Palestine conflict.
A spokeswoman for the African National Congress Women’s League (ANCWL) has resigned, after accusing the party of failing to see the “Jewish side of the story” in the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Gabriella Nechama Farber, who represented the Gauteng chapter, announced her resignation on Thursday on social media.
She condemned the ANC for taking nine days to condemn Hamas for the “atrocities” they committed in Israel and said, “there is no space for a proud Jew to belong in the ANC”.
Ms Farber also accused the Minister of International Relations Naledi Pandor of giving “support” to Hamas following a phone call Ms Pandor had taken from the leader of the group earlier this week.