Common Sense Tells Us That the Gaza Plane Story Still Needs Answer

On 13 November a planeload of 153 residents of Gaza landed at OR Tambo Airport on a chartered aircraft, causing a diplomatic storm that has been covered internationally and has exposed numerous local actors.

The official story is that the Border Management Authority (BMA) did not want to allow the Gazans into the country because they lacked exit stamps in their passports. After questioning, authorities also realised that those on the plane did not want to apply for asylum and did not have the required documentation such as accommodation details and return flights.

Regulations changed in recent years now allow Palestinians a 90-day visa-free exemption when visiting South Africa, meaning they may enter on their passports, which the Border Management Authority (BMA) claims all the travellers had.

This verification process took several hours, during which pressure mounted on authorities after videos of the passengers circulated on social media along with reports of vulnerable people needing assistance.

The plane was reportedly about to be turned around, but non-governmental organisations, including Gift of the Givers, began intervening, along with the Department of International Relations and Co-operation, while pro-Palestinian activists flooded the airport. After negotiations the Gazans agreed to apply for asylum but were instead issued 90-day entry permits as part of the standard process, once Gift of the Givers had assured authorities that accommodation had been arranged.

The immediate response of South African officials, such as the Minister of International Relations and Co-operation, was to blame Israel. He stated that he did not want planes of Gazans arriving in South Africa because they represented an attempt at ethnic cleansing, while some in the media speculated openly about a conspiracy by Israel to embarrass South Africa ahead of the G20.

Problems

There are numerous problems with this account. First, this is not the first plane of its kind to land in the country. A previous flight carrying a similar number of people was allowed through without any issues or apparent concerns about documentation or accommodation. What was different about the second plane? No one can say.

There is also the issue of what South African authorities knew about the flight beforehand. The available evidence suggests they knew something. Israeli authorities say they co-ordinate with third countries in advance.

South African authorities deny being informed, yet they must have had some trigger, since they boarded the plane before allowing passengers to disembark in order to check documents, which is not standard procedure.

The government’s claim that the lack of exit stamps alerted them to a problem is clearly untrue. A similar claim by Gift of the Givers that the lack of stamps was a deliberate Israeli act is also unsupported. Israel operates an electronic entry/exit system and would not have stamped passports. And since no one had disembarked when officials boarded the aircraft, they could not have known anything about the supposed absence of stamps at the time.

Scheme

There is similarly little proof of a grand Israeli scheme to depopulate Gaza, engage in human trafficking, or undermine South Africa at the G20. Under the Trump peace plan, Gazans are able to leave the strip voluntarily, and this group reportedly paid several thousand dollars each to do so via a company called Al Madj, about which details remain limited.

Even before the ceasefire, Palestinians were leaving Gaza via the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing through businessmen and companies closely tied to the Egyptian state, reportedly generating tens of millions of dollars. The Israelis have been open about how the travellers were processed and likely screened for Hamas members before being transported to Ramon Airport, which is Israel’s major southern civilian gateway.

By the time most of the Gazans were processed in South Africa, many had already moved on to other destinations, suggesting that South Africa may have been only a stopover, although some interviewed said they intended to stay permanently. Gazans have also been coming to South Africa throughout the war with assistance from groups like Gift of the Givers. For example, a number of medical students completed their studies at South African universities during this period.

The uproar around the flight appears to stem more from local factors than global ones. The BMA essentially had two options when the flight arrived. If the passengers had passports and the other required documents, as some reports suggest, they should have been allowed in without problems. If not, the plane should have been turned around.

Problems

Both outcomes posed political problems for the government and the African National Congress (ANC). Having accused Israel of committing genocide, a country with humanitarian aspirations like South Africa might have been expected to welcome as many fleeing Gazans as possible.

South Africa however has contributed very little materially to Gaza’s aid situation. This suggests South Africa may not fully believe its own rhetoric or is simply willing to adopt contradictory positions while turning the plane away.

Another local issue is xenophobia, which now features in all South African debates. The sight of well-fed Middle Eastern families claiming refugee status whilst fleeing a famine arriving on chartered aircraft is unlikely to sit well with South Africans who have watched destitute migrants arrive from across the continent for decades.

This sentiment is heightened by the involvement of groups like Gift of the Givers, whose support for Hamas and engagement with other terror-linked actors over the years is well known and who appear to have influenced South African bureaucrats to deviate from normal procedures.

With local government elections approaching, and with the Palestinian cause having performed poorly for the ANC as an issue in the last election, it is far easier for the party to blame Israel in a conspiracy narrative and halt further flights than to accept responsibility for the consequences of its decisions.

Regardless, questions remain about the Gaza plane, and perhaps more importantly, what will happen to those now in South Africa who are legally required to exit the country in three months’ time.