403
Sorry!!
Error! We're sorry, but the page you were looking for doesn't exist.
South Africa Reverses Visa Exemption for Palestinians
(MENAFN) South Africans showed a range of responses on Sunday after the Department of Home Affairs revoked the 90-day visa exemption for Palestinian passport holders.
The decision followed what officials described as recent “mysterious” flights from Israel that transported several hundred Palestinians into the country.
According to a Saturday statement, the department explained that the exemption was canceled after inquiries confirmed intentional and persistent misuse of the 90-day visa allowance for regular Palestinian passport holders by Israeli groups connected to efforts of “voluntary emigration” involving residents of the Gaza Strip.
In the previous month, a chartered aircraft originating in Israel and stopping briefly in Kenya transported 153 Palestinian refugees from Gaza to South Africa. Another flight in late October delivered 176 Palestinians.
The department emphasized that “Withdrawing the visa exemption is the most effective way to prevent further flights of this nature while ensuring that bona fide travelers from Palestine are safely able to visit South Africa without being subjected to abuse,” describing the measure as essential to block additional arrivals of this sort.
Authorities added that South Africa refuses to become involved in any initiative aiming to exploit or uproot Palestinians from Gaza.
The Department of Home Affairs further noted that its investigations suggest the chartered flights were not isolated incidents but may form part of a wider, continuous attempt to relocate Palestinians to various parts of the globe.
Additionally, the department stated that following the cancellation of the exemption, it will appropriately assess any asylum petitions from travelers who arrived via these charter flights, while maintaining the conditions of the original 90-day visa exemption for those who do not request asylum.
The decision followed what officials described as recent “mysterious” flights from Israel that transported several hundred Palestinians into the country.
According to a Saturday statement, the department explained that the exemption was canceled after inquiries confirmed intentional and persistent misuse of the 90-day visa allowance for regular Palestinian passport holders by Israeli groups connected to efforts of “voluntary emigration” involving residents of the Gaza Strip.
In the previous month, a chartered aircraft originating in Israel and stopping briefly in Kenya transported 153 Palestinian refugees from Gaza to South Africa. Another flight in late October delivered 176 Palestinians.
The department emphasized that “Withdrawing the visa exemption is the most effective way to prevent further flights of this nature while ensuring that bona fide travelers from Palestine are safely able to visit South Africa without being subjected to abuse,” describing the measure as essential to block additional arrivals of this sort.
Authorities added that South Africa refuses to become involved in any initiative aiming to exploit or uproot Palestinians from Gaza.
The Department of Home Affairs further noted that its investigations suggest the chartered flights were not isolated incidents but may form part of a wider, continuous attempt to relocate Palestinians to various parts of the globe.
Additionally, the department stated that following the cancellation of the exemption, it will appropriately assess any asylum petitions from travelers who arrived via these charter flights, while maintaining the conditions of the original 90-day visa exemption for those who do not request asylum.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Most popular stories
Market Research
More Story
Comments
No comment