Concerns grow over Palestinian arrivals in SA amid allegations of forced migration by Israelis
Aid organization Gift of Givers has welcomed the Palestinian refugees who arrived in South Africa on Thursday
Image: Image / Facebook
A group of Palestinians arrived at O. R. Tambo International Airport on November 13 on a chartered flight, sparking questions about how they travelled and whether they were forcibly displaced.
The group initially faced challenges entering the country due to incomplete documentation, but the Department of Home Affairs intervened and granted them entry.
Humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers then stepped in to accommodate the arrivals.
Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of Gift of the Givers, expressed concern about the circumstances under which the Palestinians were brought to South Africa. He said the organisation does not yet know who arranged the flight.
“But we do know that the plane that came from Kenya to South Africa was chartered via Global Aviation,” Sooliman told Al Jazeera. He added that Global Aviation manages Lift airline in South Africa, which he said was also linked to the arrival of a previous group in October.
“So, we don’t know the relationship between Israel and this company,” he continued, describing the situation as “forced migration of people” who may have been vulnerable due to trauma.
He said the fact that some arrivals did not know their destination until landing in South Africa suggested the movement was not voluntary. “It’s not voluntary, it’s forced. It’s a process of ethnic cleansing,” he said.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Naeem Jeenah from Civil Society Coalition said they were told by refugees that they boarded a bus in Gaza, crossed through the Karim Shalom crossing, and were taken to Raman airport before flying to South Africa.
“It’s clear who’s behind this,” he said. “It’s an organisation called Al-Majd Europe. They have relations with the Israelis and suspected relations with the Shabbach, the Israeli intelligence services."
Jeenah told the broadcaster that passengers paid between $1500 (over R2500 up to $5,000 (over R84,000) on a website to leave.
One of the earlier arrivals, Wasim Bashir, said he paid $6,000 (over R100,000) for himself, his wife, and their two children, yet they were only allowed to travel with their clothes, passports, and phones.
Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged the unusual circumstances around the arrivals.
“These are people from Gaza who somehow mysteriously were put on a plane that passed by Nairobi and came here,” he said.
Despite the lack of documentation, he said South Africa would not turn them away.
“Even though they do not have the necessary documents and papers, these are people from a strife-torn, a war-torn country, and out of compassion, out of empathy, we must receive them.”
Ramaphosa confirmed that an investigation will be launched to determine how the group was transported to South Africa.