South African nationals who have fought alongside or served in the Israeli military will be subject to arrest upon their return home, the country’s foreign minister Naledi Pandor said.
“I have already issued a statement alerting those who are South African and who are fighting alongside or in the Israeli Defense Forces. We are ready. When you come home, we're going to arrest you,” Pandor said at a recent conference on solidarity with Palestinians in the South African capital Pretoria.
Her remarks followed an initial warning issued by the South African Foreign Ministry in December, which stated that soldiers stationed in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas conflict were "liable for prosecution in South Africa" on charges of purported violations of international law.
South Africa has been actively trying to help the Palestinians, including through the legal framework. In late December of last year, the country filed a case against Israel at the ICJ, requesting emergency measures to stop the "genocide" in Gaza.
Last week, the rainbow nation went back to court to call for additional provisional measures against Israel that would address widespread starvation among Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.