South African lawmakers vote in favor of closing Israel’s embassy and cutting diplomatic ties

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME
Associated Press

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A majority of South African lawmakers have voted in favor of a motion calling for the closure of the Israeli embassy and the cutting of diplomatic ties until Israel agrees to a cease-fire in Gaza. The vote on the motion supported by the ruling African National Congress party came as President Cyril Ramaphosa in a meeting with other world leaders accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza with its military offensive in Gaza in search of its Hamas militant rulers. South Africa has for years compared Israel’s policies in Gaza and the West Bank with its own past apartheid regime of racial segregation.