Petition to Urge South Africa to Maintain Diplomatic Ties with Israel

TO: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa

As a supporter of the World Jewish Congress, I stand with the South Africa Friends of Israel in supporting continued relations between Israel and South Africa, and urging the South African Government cease in its efforts to sever ties with the State of Israel and to immediately reinstate the SA Ambassador to Israel.

Such a move runs counter to the longstanding South African foreign policy of calling for engagement with all parties to a conflict.

Efforts to downgrade the South African Embassy in Israel will have a deeply negative impact on the South African Christian community (around 44 million Christians) who make up the vast majority of pilgrims to the Holy Land.

Additionally, severing ties will lead to negative economic impacts on travel, tourism, and trade, all of which will have a direct effect on South Africa and its people.

South Africa has a moral obligation to support a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to distance itself from a radicalized position on Israel, which undermines any hope of a negotiated process and peaceful outcome.

Respectfully,

 

 

 

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