South Africa Halts Charter Flights for Palestinians Amid 'Cleansing Agenda' Concerns

Tue Nov 18 2025 03:26:24 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a controversial move, South Africa refuses further charter flights for Palestinians citing fears of displacement agenda. The decision follows the recent arrival of Palestinians, sparking debate about international response and ethical concerns.

South Africa has announced it will no longer accept charter flights bringing Palestinians to the country, following a recent incident involving 153 individuals arriving under unclear circumstances. Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola expressed concerns about a possible agenda to displace Palestinians from their homeland, alleging a systematic approach to relocating them globally. This decision comes amid ongoing debates about the plight of Palestinians and South Africa's historical support for their cause.

South Africa has said it does not want to receive any more chartered flights carrying Palestinians, days after the controversial arrival of 153 passengers from Gaza in the country.

Many aspects of their arrival remain unclear and disputed.

The flight was part of a clear agenda to cleanse Palestinians out of Gaza and the West Bank, Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said on Monday.

The Israeli authorities have not responded to this allegation. However, they said that South Africa had previously agreed to receive the 153 Palestinians.

The BBC has asked the South African authorities to comment.

The Palestinian embassy in South Africa stated that the group left Israel's Ramon Airport and flew to the country via the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, without any prior note or coordination.

It said that an unregistered and misleading organization had exploited the plight of Gaza citizens, deceived families, collected money from them, and facilitated their travel in an irregular and irresponsible manner.

The Palestinian foreign ministry went on to say, through the embassy, that it was working with South Africa to address this situation resulting from this lapse.

The flight at the center of the dispute arrived on Thursday at South Africa's OR Tambo International Airport.

The passengers were initially refused entry into the country and were stuck on the plane for more than 10 hours.

Authorities in South Africa, which has strongly supported the Palestinian cause during the ongoing war in Gaza, stated that the passengers did not have departure stamps in their passports. Palestinians are allowed to travel to South Africa for 90 days without a visa.

Eventually, the group was allowed to disembark after intervention from a local charity. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed this decision was made out of empathy [and] compassion. Out of the initial group, 130 were allowed into the country as 23 of the passengers had already taken flights elsewhere.

During a media briefing about South Africa's readiness to host the G20 Leaders' Summit, taking place this weekend, Lamola noted that the recent flight appeared to be part of a broader agenda to remove Palestinians from Palestine into many different parts of the world.

South Africa's president added that the Palestinians somehow mysteriously were put on a plane that passed by Nairobi and flew to South Africa.

In a broader context, this issue highlights South Africa's complex relationship with Israel and its commitment to the Palestinian cause, dating back to the apartheid era.