Johnathan Paoli
THE Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) has said that it was gravely concerned by reports that some South African citizens and permanent residents have joined or are considering joining the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in the war in Gaza and in the other Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Dirco spokesperson Clayson Monyela said that such action could potentially contribute to the violation of international law and the commission of further international crimes, thus making them liable for prosecution in South Africa.
In terms of the Regulation of the Foreign Military Assistance Act of 1998, any person wishing to render foreign military assistance in Israel must first apply to the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC) who will make a recommendation to the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans that such an application be granted or refused.
Monyela said that any person joining the IDF without the necessary permission of the NCACC was breaking the law and could be prosecuted.
In addition, Monyela said the South African Citizenship Act of 1995 provided that any person who obtained South African citizenship by naturalisation in terms of that Act would cease to be a South African citizen if he or she engages under the flag of another country in a war that the Republic does not support or agree with.
“It is in this context, that South African citizens should be made aware of the consequences of joining the IDF or any foreign armed forces involved in conflicts with a view to preventing inadvertent complicity in international crimes or violations of domestic law,” Monyela said.
This comes as South Africa has submitted all necessary documents to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to file a formal complaint against Israel for war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the ongoing ‘genocide’ in Gaza, according to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa along with other nations, including Bolivia, Bangladesh, Djibouti and the Comoros have urged the ICC to investigate Israel with great urgency, given the increasing loss of Palestinian lives in Gaza and the West Bank.
The current death toll for the conflict stands at over 18,600 Palestinians, the majority of whom were women and children, in the Gaza Strip having been killed according to the Gaza Health Ministry, with a further 248 Palestinians being killed in the West Bank by Israeli military and settlers.
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