The EFF wants the Israeli embassy in Pretoria removed as in yesterday. Just after picketing at the embassy the party announced that it had written to parliament proposing formally that the Israel ambassador be expelled and the embassy closed. The letter penned by the party’s deputy president and parliamentary chief whip Floyd Shivambu also requested for the debate on the proposed resolution to be held urgently.
“Given the sensitivity and nature of the proposed draft resolution, we respectfully request that the Speaker, in the capacity of Chairperson of the National Assembly Programming Committee (NAPC), convene an urgent meeting to ensure the draft resolution is tabled before the end of the week”, said Shivambu in the letter to Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqcakula.
Earlier on during its march on the Israeli embassy in Pretoria the EFF accused the ruling ANC of failing to articulate clear support for Palestine or act against Benjamin Netanyahu’s government claiming President Cyril Ramaphosa’s internal leadership campaign was funded by businesses with close ties to Israel and he was therefore indebted to them.
“Don’t listen to those who were here on Friday coming for PR. They’ve got the power to remove this nonsense behind this truck (embassy building). They are not removing it why? They are getting money from the Israeli government, that’s why they are scared of the Israeli government. Cyril Ramaphosa was made president with the money donated to him by the Jewish people who are behind this Israeli embassy and the Israeli government. Those who gave Cyril money are the Jewish who are not progressive, are Jewish people who want to perpetuate the apartheid Israel and the oppression of Palestine. Cyril can’t say anything. He went to the ANC NEC meeting and wore a scarf and those Jewish people were like you wear Palestine colours with our money and he had to issue a statement explaining himself”, said Malema about Ramaphosa and the ANC’s stance on the conflict.
During the ANC’s own march to the embassy on Friday youth league leaders questioned why as a ruling party it did not use state power to exert pressure on Israel and the first deputy president Nomvula Monkonyane acknowledged that more could be done at the level of government.