By suspending the Johannesburg mayoral committee member for health, Ms Mpho Phalatse, for making pro Israeli statements, the DA has shown that it has taken sides in the Middle East matter between Israel and Palestine.
According to media reports, the DA mayor of Johannesburg, Mr Herman Mashaba, suspended Mpho after she supposedly said that the city of Johannesburg is “a friend of Israel”. The EFF welcomed Mpho’s suspension and are demanding that she be dismissed without further ado.
By doing this, the DA is siding with the ANC government who also openly took sides in the conflict by withdrawing its ambassador from Israel last month.
South Africa could still have played a reconciliatory role in finding a solution for the Israel/Palestine issue, but these actions have destroyed our opportunity to do so. Unfortunately, the DA fell into the same pitfall as the ANC.
The FF Plus, being a coalition partner of the DA in Johannesburg, does not agree with Mashaba’s actions.
The FF Plus believes that the matter is extremely complex and that one cannot take sides when attempting to bring about reconciliation and peace.
Just like any other country in the world, Israel is a sovereign state with rights and that must be respected. Interested parties that are sincere in their search for a solution must reach out to both sides and not turn its back on either one of the two.
The DA’s actions could create the impression that Israel does not have many friends left in South Africa.
Read the original article in Afrikaans on FF Plus
South Africa Today – South Africa News
