Mr A MSHAIK EMAM: ... using religion. Religion won't work anymore.

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr MLDNtombela): Hon Shaik, the time is up. Order, hon members. As the tempers are flying, please let's consider time. The hon Jafta?

Mr S MJAFTA: Hon Chair, when the South African government downgraded Israel embassy, we were hopeful that the Israeli embassy in South Africa will be permanently closed. We note that the onslaught against the innocent civilians of Palestine has been justified by the SA Jewish Board of Deputies. We condemn this justification with the condemned it deserve. We also have not ... [Inaudible.] ... from the utterances sponsored by the then Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities, CRL, Commissioner, Ms Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva, who had argued that the downgrading of the Israeli embassy was set to unfairly impact on the ability of South African Jews to practice and identify with their religion and cultural heritage. This line of reasoning was shortsighted as one could not elevate some ... [Interjections.] ... cultural rights over human rights.

Webelieve that there is a greater discourse to be heard with the SA Zionist Federation, particularly to condemn Israel's destruction of human life. We also believe that the dialogue must be held with SA Union of Jewish students and Bnei Akiva South Africa. We must foster a common understanding of human rights. Moreover, and most importantly, we call on a national boycott of the following brands, the Volvo Group, which allegedly supplies equipment used to bulldoze Palestinian homes, Procter & Gamble, which produces pampers, Motorola, which allegedly provides surveillance equipment used to round Palestinian settlement and McDonald's, which is accused of unfairly discriminating against Arabic workers at their restaurants.

Wecannot allow apartheid Israel to haunt the innocent people of Palestine. We therefore demand that the Israeli embassy here in South Africa be downgraded with immediate effect. Our freedom is not complete without the freedom of the people of Palestine. I thank you.

Mr T LOATE: Chair, the horrible war between Hamas and Israel is full of such intense hatred between them that neither an end game nor any path to a lasting solution is in sight. I hate to say the word at least, although we know that 1 400 Israelis and more than 10 000 people in Gaza have been killed. Many of these are women and children. War crimes have been committed on both sides. The deliberate and discriminate targeting of civilians on either side reflects depraving of the worst kind. Hamas fired thousands of rockets to Israeli towns and attacked and killed civilians, including children, women and old people. It also kidnapped hundreds of people. The Israeli military has flattened big parts of Gaza with airstrikes, it block deliveries of food, water, fuel and electricity. The 56 years of military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, 16 years of air, land and sea blockade on the Gaza Strip, Israeli right-wingers wilfully destroying Arab homes in the West Bank and causing continuous provocation at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and Netanyahu in February 2023, signaling clearly that it was extremely unlikely that Israel and Palestinians will make any measurable progress towards a long- term peace anytime soon, provides the context to this war. While Hamas has to be stopped, the inhumanisation of Palestinians also has to be stopped. Right- wing Israeli Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, recently referred to the more than 2 000 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip as, and I quote, 'human animals', when justifying a complete tightening of the siege on the street. While the world looks to engage the parties for a solution where no viable solution is available, a ceasefire must occur and humanitarian issues must receive the highest priority.

Further, military actions will solve nothing but aggravate the situation even more. The madness must stop. The United Nations must step up to the plate and must do so quickly. I thank you.

Mr MGEHENDRICKS: Hon Chair, the resistance in Gaza will not stop. The Arab ambassadors in South Africa has come with what they label a reasonable call, Hamas to release all the Israeli