South Africa threatens to arrest dual citizens serving in IDF
Foreign Minister's tells South Africans 'fighting alongside or in the South Africa threatens to arrest dual citizens servinsraeli Defense Force: We are ready - when you come home, we will arrest you'
South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor announced on Saturday that the country would arrest dual nationals serving in the Israel Defense Forces upon their return to South Africa.
"I've already issued a statement alerting those who are South African and who are fighting alongside or in the Israeli Defense Force; we are ready - when you come home, we will arrest you," she said during an African National Congress dialogue on solidarity with Palestine.
South Africa in January pushed forward a case in the Hague against Israel accusing the Jewish state of commiting genocide in its war with Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip.
The move in support of Palestinians is not because of upcoming elections, Pandor stressed during a meeting last week.
“We didn't meet the Palestinian people on October 8th, we've been together in the struggle for many decades,” she said.
Despite Palestinian support in South Africa's government, influential figures from the country visited Israel last month to tour the destroyed southern Israeli towns after the massacre committed on October 7.
“The people of Palestine trained the freedom fighters of the liberation movement,” she added, drawing a comparison between the South African struggle against apartheid and Palestinian terrorism. “This is a relationship of freedom fighters, of activists, of nations that share a history. A history of struggle for justice and freedom.”
Pandor called for South Africans to be activists, urging for them to protest in front of embassies of countries supporting Israel. In addition, she called for them to boycott the Israeli airline El Al.