A PRESS STATEMENT

 

On Thursday, OR Tambo International Airport saw a stand-off where at least 153 arriving Palestinians were initially denied entry, spending hours under the sweltering heat in an aircraft on the tarmac, and enduring deplorable conditions in the cabin. Authorities who reportedly were taken by surprise of the arrival of refuge seekers scrambled for a response to the situation.

 

While the exact circumstances under which the plane landed in South Africa are yet to be established, what is becoming clear is that the War on Gaza and the Palestinians has taken yet another cynical dimension. Under the guise of a humanitarian initiative, shady agencies are now involved in transfers of Palestinians out of the Occupied Territories, facilitating a stated Zionist goal of ethnic-cleansing of Palestine.

 

The Jamiatul Ulama South Africa (JUSA) strongly condemns this development which constitutes a war crime under the Fourth Geneva Convention (Article 49), and a violation of a number of international laws, besides having the hallmarks a human-trafficking enterprise, preying on war-weary and vulnerable people.

 

JUSA welcomes the South African government’s resolution to admit the Palestinian families into the country, and extends appreciation to all the organisations and individuals who stepped in and engaged authorities to let in the refuge seekers, easing their hours-long ordeal, by accommodating them and catering to their welfare, in spite of the irregular circumstances of their arrival.

 

We urge the South African government to investigate and bring to account all those who played roles that have caused needless distress and anguish around this matter, through wilful conduct of commission and omission, leading to the near-disaster situation the whole country has been talking about, since Thursday.

 

JUSA has collaborated with other agencies in extending assistance to a number of Palestinian refugees who had arrived in the country earlier and would like to encourage the public to continue lending a helping hand to them, as a matter of solidarity.

 

May Allah help us in protecting the dignity of our common humanity and hasten the day of liberation of Palestine. (Āmīn.)

Released by:

 

The Executive Committee
Jamiatul Ulama South Africa

 

23 Jumaadal Ulaa 1447 / 14 November 2025