According to South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor, IDF soldiers who hold dual Israeli and South African citizenship will be subject to immediate arrest upon return.
The statement was made earlier this week at a gathering in support of Palestinians. The gathering was attended by representatives of the ruling party in South Africa, African National Congress (ANC).
The minister also urged people to march outside of the embassies of the “five primary supporters” of Israel and its military action in Gaza. Although she didn’t mention them by name, she was most likely referring to the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, among other countries.
“I have already issued a statement alerting those who are South African and are fighting alongside or in the Israeli Defense Forces: We are ready. When you come home, we are going to arrest you,” she said.
Back in December, the foreign ministry said that the South African government raised its concern regarding some of its nationals or permanent residents joining the IDF to fight in Gaza. The ministry also threatened to prosecute them if they had not obtained authorization to do so in accordance with South Africa’s arms control laws.
According to the foreign ministry, people who hold dual South African-Israeli citizenship may lose their South African citizenship. Pandor’s statements seemed to indicate a hardening of the government’s stance.
It is yet unknown how many South Africans have fought on behalf of Israel in the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Even prior to the conflict, the South African government has always been a vocal critic of Israel and an advocate of the Palestinian people.
Many South Africans, including members of the ruling Party have long drawn comparisons between Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank to the persecution and forced racial segregation of non-Whites in South Africa during the apartheid era.
South Africa accuses Israel of imposing a kind of apartheid on Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, an allegation Israel vigorously disputes. South Africa also claims in the International Court of Justice that Israel is carrying out genocide in Gaza. A verdict in the case might take years.
In response, Israel said that South Africa was acting on behalf of the militant Hamas group, which had assaulted southern Israel on October 7 and killed some 1,200 Israelis while capturing 250 more, igniting the war.
More than 31,000 Palestinians have died as a result of Israel’s attack on Gaza, which has also forced the majority of the 2.3 million residents of the coastal enclave from their homes and resulted in a humanitarian crisis that has left hundreds of thousands of people in danger of hunger.
At this week’s Palestinian solidarity gathering, Pandor invited the audience to create posters that read “Stop Genocide” and stage demonstrations outside the embassies of the “five primary supporters” of Israel.
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