SA withdraws Palestine visa plan

GAZA: TWO FLIGHTS NEVER INTENDED TO BE ONCE-OFF >>> Probe reveals 'systematic abuse' of exemption.

- Faizel Patel

The department of home affairs has withdrawn SA’s 90-day visa exemption for Palestinian passport holders.

The decision comes after two charter flights transporting Palestinians landed in South Africa last month. About 153 Palestinians arrived in the country on 13 November, leaving their war-torn homes and belongings in Gaza.

Investigations into the incident found the arrival of these charter flights was not intended to be a one-off, but may be part of a broader, ongoing effort to relocate Palestinians to other parts of the world, Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said.

This report revealed that a Dubai-based broker with offices in SA recently requested bulk quotations for additional charter flights to start as soon as possible.

"Withdrawing the visa exemption is the most effective way to prevent further flights of this nature, while ensuring that bona fide travellers from Palestine are safely able to visit South Africa without being subjected to abuse," Schreiber said.

"South Africa will not be complicit in any scheme to exploit or displace Palestinians from Gaza."