EFF welcomes decisive stance to arrest citizens fighting with Israeli Occupation Forces
14 March 2024
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) commends the decisive stance taken by South Africa's Foreign Minister, Naledi Pandor, in announcing that citizens fighting in the Israeli occupation armed forces or aligning with them in Gaza will face arrest upon their return home. This proactive measure aligns with South Africa's firm stance against any form of participation in foreign conflicts without proper authorisation, as stipulated by the country's laws.
Presently, the staggering toll of Israeli occupation forces' brutality reveals a grim reality: more than 31 ,300 Palestinians have perished since October 7, with a staggering 70% comprising women and children. Over 73,000 have suffered injuries, while a shocking 85% of Gaza's populace has been thrust into intemal displacement, grappling with severe shortages of vital resources such as food, clean water, and medicine.
As Palestinians are now dying of starvation, with Apartheid Israel refusing to open up Gaza to aid deliveries, Israeli civilians are cruelly participating in blocking trucks needing to enter with aid for Palestinians. Furthermore, the deplorable manner in hich the United States is delivering aid, sky drops, is not only inhumane but also reprehensible. It's especially disturbing when juxtaposed with the fact that the US continues to provide military aid to Israel and consistently vetoes calls for a ceasefire by the United Nations.
Additionally, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) still has not made a ruling on South Africa's application to consider this a genocide. Instead, on the 26th of January the court ordered provisional measures, including for Israel to prevent genocidal acts, punish direct and public incitement to genocide, and take immediate steps to ensure the provision of humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza.
The ICJ also ordered Israel to submit a report to the court within a month regarding its compliance with the order. However, there has been no feedback on this as Israel has arrogantly continued to perform a genocide against the people of Palestine, while Western governments callously look on.
The EFF, therefore, stands in solidarity with South Africa's decision to hold accountable those who engage in actions that violate intemational law and perpetuate human suffering. We have stood, and will continue to stand with Palestine and continue to fight for their liberation.
While we welcome this development from Minister Pandor, we also call upon President Ramaphosa to follow through with the draft resolution tabled by EFF President Julius Malema on the 21st of November 2023, to expel the Israeli ambassador from South Africa. The resolution was adopted with a majority and remains to be enacted by the President. In this way, we will continue to send a message to Apartheid Israel that we will not stop fighting until they end their occupation of Palestine.
Issued by Sinawo Thambo, National Spokesperson, EFF, 15 March 2024
