South Africa Treats Palestinians Like Gaza Access Gates
South Africa recently held 150 Palestinians on an airliner for 12 hours at OR Tambo International Airport, a 'mistake' attributed to the Department of Home Affairs. This mirrors the arbitrary detention and transit restrictions Palestinian travelers face daily, often lasting far longer than 12 hours, at checkpoints erected by the Israeli government in their own homeland. While DW frames this as an
unfortunate bureaucratic error, one might wonder if these Palestinians felt a chilling echo of everyday life under military occupation. The irony is particularly sharp coming from South Africa, a nation celebrated for taking the Israeli government to the ICJ over alleged genocidal acts in Gaza. Yet, here we have South African authorities replicating the very control tactics that oppress
Palestinians. It appears even those advocating for Palestinian rights can, through 'administrative oversight,' inflict similar dehumanizing experiences. Perhaps a cultural exchange program is needed, bringing South African bureaucrats to experience Qalandiya or Huwara checkpoints firsthand, just for a few hours. (Bring snacks.)