SAMNET RAISES ALARM OVER ISRAELI CITIZENS ENTERING SOUTH AFRICA

Fri 24 October 2025:

Chairperson of the South African Muslim Network (SAMNET), Dr Faisal Suliman, has raised an alarm over the growing number of Israeli citizens entering South Africa.

The organisation has urged the Department of Home Affairs to explain how these applications are being screened and approved.

In a letter to Minister Leon Schreiber, SAMNET asked how many Israelis have applied for residency, work permits, or citizenship, and what checks are in place to ensure none have served in the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF).

The IDF has been accused of human rights violations in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories.

“Having witnessed myself a flight between Johannesburg and Ethiopia and the number of Israelis coming via Tel Aviv to Addis Ababa and then to South Africa… and reports that thousands of Israelis, since the Gaza genocide, have been leaving Israel to other parts of the world, but South Africa in particular.”

Dr Suliman said the observation of Israelis arriving in the country raised serious concerns, particularly as South Africa leads the case of genocide against Israel at the International Court of Justice. He said SAMNET believed this influx could not go unexamined by the government.

“There have been a lot of anecdotal talks from people in the Western Cape about the DA making huge tracts of land available in different parts of Cape Town or the greater Cape metro at very little cost… ostensibly to Jewish but to Israeli citizens.”

He explained that military service is compulsory in Israel, meaning most adults have served in the IDF. He said this creates moral and security risks for South Africa, as those involved in the occupation of Palestine could now be residing in the country.

“More or less every adult who’s lived in Israel has served in the IDF in some form or the other, which means not just Gaza but occupied Palestine since 1948 has had repeated and ongoing human-rights abuses taking place… torture, killings, destruction of homes, etc.”

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Concerns Over Vetting and Political Influence

Dr Suliman likened Israeli military service to having a criminal record, arguing that those involved in the IDF should not be granted entry or residency. He said this was not only a moral issue but a matter of national security.

“Why should we then be allowing these people who are already fundamentalist, violent, unconscionable… to enter our country?”

He accused the Democratic Alliance (DA) of fast-tracking applications from Israeli nationals for political gain. He said the move could align South African politics with right-wing Zionist interests.

“Our belief is that the DA is fast-tracking it because it’s future votes. It’s people who will always be supportive of the DA right-wing Zionist agenda.”

SAMNET has called on the Department of Home Affairs to disclose how it screens such applications and the measures it takes to prevent individuals with military backgrounds from obtaining South African residency.

Legal and Moral Implications

Dr Suliman said granting residency to individuals linked to the IDF undermines South Africa’s commitment to human rights and justice. He warned that such actions could threaten national stability and contradict the country’s moral stance on the Gaza genocide.

“They’ve taken part in illegal activities that should preclude them from residency… these are the demographic that presents an unstable force in our country, a force for right-wing fundamentalism and political instability.”

He said South Africa must remain consistent in its principles and ensure that those complicit in human-rights abuses are not welcomed or sheltered within its borders.