‘Israel, take your knee of the people of Palestine’ demands Duarte
The African National Congress (ANC)’s deputy secretary-general, Jessie Duarte, has called on the Israeli government to “take their knees off the Palestinians” or close their embassy in the country.
The governing party picketed outside the Israeli Embassy in Pretoria on Tuesday morning.
The aim was to hand over a memorandum of demands to the embassy, but no one from the embassy came to accept it.
Duarte said the party was giving the Israeli government’s representative in South Africa 14 days to respond to their demands.
"These arrogant people would not accept the memorandum, but we are going to leave it there at the security gate - like we did the last time,” said Duarte.
"I'm sure the security guard is instructed to throw it out, (but it) doesn't matter, we have made our voice heard and know.
"But when we come back, as the youth leagued said; it won't be the side of this gate - we will go in," she insisted.
The governing party wants Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to appear in front of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity.
South African Communist Party's (SACP) first deputy secretary, Solly Mapaila has called for the Israel embassy in the country to be closed.
