S.African lawmakers vote to suspend diplomatic ties with Israel, shut embassy
SOUTH African lawmakers voted in favour of closing down the Israeli embassy in Pretoria and suspending all diplomatic relations until a ceasefire is agreed in its war with Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza. The resolution is largely symbolic as it will be up to President Cyril Ramaphosa's government whether to implement it; a presidency spokesperson did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. But Ramaphosa and senior foreign ministry officials have been vocally critical of Israel's leadership during its devastating military campaign against Hamas in the densely populated Gaza Strip, calling on the International Criminal Court to investigate them…