Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor declared that South African citizens who serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will face arrest upon their return home. This statement was made earlier this week at a Palestinian solidarity event attended by ANC officials.
“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,” stated Pandor.
Pandor’s statement follows South Africa’s filing of a lawsuit against Israel in the International Court of Justice, accusing the nation of genocide in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian war. On 26 January 2024 the ICJ ruled “Israel’s actions in Gaza [as] plausibly genocidal”.
In December 2023, South Africa’s Foreign Ministry stated that the government was concerned South African citizens or permanent residents had joined the IDF and warned that those joining the IDF to fight in Gaza or other occupied Palestinian territories without government permission could be prosecuted. Pandor reiterated this stance, emphasising that even those with dual citizenship could face consequences, including the potential loss of South African citizenship.
The South African government’s support for Palestine has deep historical roots, with Pandor emphasising the long-standing solidarity between the two nations in their struggles for freedom, drawing parallels between the ongoing assault on Palestine and Apartheid.
South Africa has a significant Jewish population, estimated at more than 52,000 in 2020 however, the number of citizens serving in the IDF is unknown.
Pandor’s statement is expected to deepen the rift between South Africa and Israel that has only intensified since the South African delegation’s accusations of genocide at the ICJ.
