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.
Cutting diplomatic ties is a double-edged sword, in the sense that you cut your own capacity to aid your citizens and companies to deal with Israeli authorities at the expense of cutting Israel’s capacity to deal with your institutions for the sake of their citizens and companies. It makes sense if you have very little capacity to twist the other party’s arm, but are willing to say: “I’m willing to bring harm to the both of us until you choose to change your behavior”, which might change the calculation on what is the most profitable course of action to take for the other party. Not that Israel is going to change its national policy because they’re dying to make business in South Africa, but if it adds up to a larger pile of sanctions that might come from other countries, it helps.
The ANC is also anti Ukraine independence.
Yeah, unfortunately plenty of political groups weight more heavily being against a certain geopolitical block than consistently defending humanistic values.
Cutting diplomatic ties is a double-edged sword, in the sense that you cut your own capacity to aid your citizens and companies to deal with Israeli authorities at the expense of cutting Israel’s capacity to deal with your institutions for the sake of their citizens and companies. It makes sense if you have very little capacity to twist the other party’s arm, but are willing to say: “I’m willing to bring harm to the both of us until you choose to change your behavior”, which might change the calculation on what is the most profitable course of action to take for the other party. Not that Israel is going to change its national policy because they’re dying to make business in South Africa, but if it adds up to a larger pile of sanctions that might come from other countries, it helps.
Yeah, unfortunately plenty of political groups weight more heavily being against a certain geopolitical block than consistently defending humanistic values.