EFF CALLS ON EXPULSION OF ISRAELI FOREIGN MISSION TO SOUTH AFRICA

Monday, May 14, 2018

The EFF welcomes South Africa’s decision to recall its Ambassador to Israel in protest of the racist Israeli aggression on Palestine. This, however, is a much simple move to a deeper problem about the injustice visited on Palestinians by the apartheid state of Israel. We call on South Africa to expel the Israeli mission to our country as an example to the whole world that a relationship to Israel is complicity with its racist aggression on Palestinians. 

The Israeli government has refused the right of Palestinians to self-determination for far too long. It has imposed a military occupation on their land for over half a century. Palestinians live in a permanent racist and military occupation despite many resolutions of the United Nations against Israel’s occupation. 

In 2005, Palestinians called for the world to isolate Israel through boycotts, divestments and sanctions to force Israel to end its illegal and colonial occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. To this day, many freedom loving governments of the world have associated with Israel despite its racist policies on Palestine. As a result, Israel has not only hardened its oppression on Palestinians, it has expanded its occupation in the West Bank, through forceful removals of Palestinians from their lands. 

The South African democratic government, being a key beneficiary of international boycotts on apartheid, must take the lead. The expulsion of the Israeli mission must form part of the first move towards an international isolation of Israel by the whole world. The boycotts and isolation of Israel by the world is the most efficient, and yet, peaceful way of forcing the apartheid Israeli government to respect human rights of Palestinians. 

South Africa must expel Israel’s ambassadors with immediate effect until Israel ends its illegal occupation of Palestine.

Statement issued by the Economic Freedom Fighters, 14 May 2018