South Africa Talked Solidarity — Until 153 Palestinians Actually Showed Up
“Islamic fundamentalism is like a virus. Once it takes root in any society, it grows, devastates and destroys on its trail.”
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa faced a serious dilemma when a charter flight carrying 153 mostly undocumented Palestinians touched down at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on Thursday.
Haaretz reported, “This is the second group of Gazans to travel to South Africa in the past two weeks. The previous group took the same route and was admitted to Johannesburg without any issue.” No public statement was issued about the earlier group of 176 Palestinians said to have arrived on October 28.
For nearly two years since the October 7, 2023, massacre, Ramaphosa’s government has loudly proclaimed its solidarity with the Palestinian people. It has blasted Israel on the world stage — accusing it of “genocidal acts” in a December 2023 filing with the International Court of Justice, recalling diplomats, demanding sanctions, and urging global pressure against the Jewish state.
Many South African citizens and political groups have also declared their support for the Palestinians. According to The Guardian, “Civil society movements, inspired by South Africa’s anti-apartheid legacy, actively organize solidarity campaigns, boycotts, and aid efforts for Palestinians.”
But when 153 Palestinians actually arrived on South African soil, that professed solidarity suddenly evaporated. Officials kept the passengers trapped on a hot plane for more than 10 hours while the government scrambled to decide whether to allow them into the country. Only after a local charity agreed to provide humanitarian support did Ramaphosa approve entry for 130 of the passengers. The rest were sent on to other destinations.
Despite two years of fiery rhetoric about standing with Palestine, the mask has slipped, and it appears that South Africa’s show of unity has been more performance than principle. And Ramaphosa is facing fierce domestic backlash for letting them in.
Bracing for the outrage he knew was coming, Ramaphosa posted several clips on X from an earlier press conference in which he had defended his decision. He told reporters, “These are people from Gaza who somehow mysteriously were put on a plane that passed by Nairobi and came here.”
“Even though they do not have the necessary documents and papers, these are people from a strife-torn, a war-torn country.” They had been allowed into South Africa “out of compassion,” and “we cannot turn them back.”
He promised a full investigation into their “mysterious” arrival.
We are providing support and processing the 160 Palestinian refugees who arrived at OR Tambo International Airport on humanitarian grounds, ensuring that our response is rooted in compassion and empathy. pic.twitter.com/pKXNBaYwEh
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) November 14, 2025
His post was greeted with disgust by many of his constituents. An open letter from a South African immigration analyst to Ramaphosa echoes the anger and frustration expressed by many citizens over the Palestinians’ arrival.
You are a traitor and a disgrace to our nation.
…
By aligning yourself with individuals and groups notorious for their violent ideologies and destructive agendas, you have betrayed the principles of peace, justice, and sovereignty that our nation holds dear.
This reckless behavior exposes our citizens to unnecessary risks, invites international condemnation, and weakens the very fabric of our society.
History will judge you harshly for prioritizing personal or political gains over the welfare of the nation.
Your leadership, once promised to unite and uplift, now sows division and invites peril.
The missive ended with a call for Ramaphosa’s resignation, followed by the searing sign-off, “With disgust and profound disappointment.”
[OPEN LETTER TO CYRIL RAMAPHOSA)
Dear Cyril Ramaphosa,
You are a traitor and a disgrace to our nation.
You are consorting with known terrorists, thereby bringing our nation into disrepute.Your actions have not only undermined the trust of the people who elected you but have…
— Yaya Libram🇿🇦 (@Sello_Libram) November 14, 2025
I hope you thought through this humanitarian gesture before acceding to it. I hope that you aren’t making a grievous error of judgement. Islamic fundamentalism is like a virus. Once it takes root in any society, it grows, devastates and destroys on its trail.
— Olaudah Equiano® (@RealOlaudah) November 14, 2025
At the start of the Israel–Hamas war, it seemed a no-brainer that Egypt or Jordan would accept Gazans seeking refuge. But both countries refused.
There was a valid reason for this: They were worried that Hamas, which is known for blending in with civilians, would gain a foothold in their countries. And aside from Qatar, no Arab nation wants Hamas, a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, operating inside its borders. They rightly feared that the terrorist group’s presence would destabilize their countries and pose a serious threat to their national security.
At an October 2023 news conference in Cairo, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi told reporters, “What is happening now in Gaza is an attempt to force civilian residents to take refuge and migrate to Egypt, which should not be accepted.
“Egypt rejects any attempt to resolve the Palestinian issue by military means or through the forced displacement of Palestinians from their land, which would come at the expense of the countries of the region,” he said.
Sisi was concerned that the flow of Palestinians into Sinai would include militants who would use it as a staging ground for attacks against Israel. The ensuing military action could easily upset the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty.
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly went even further. He declared, “We are ready to sacrifice millions of lives to protect our territory from any encroachment.”
Jordan’s King Abdullah II agreed: “No refugees in Jordan, no refugees in Egypt.”
Abdullah well remembers his father’s expulsion of thousands of Palestinians from Jordan following a September 1970 coup attempt by the Palestine Liberation Organization, an event better known as Black September.
A reader’s comment on an article that appeared on The Gatestone Institute’s site shortly after October 7, 2023, was especially helpful in understanding why no one wants the Palestinians in their countries.
Having spent many years working in the Middle East, the reader explained:
[The belief that] Arabs are a homogenous group is wrong in so many ways. But one thing they are almost unanimous on is that the Palestinians are at the bottom of the pecking order. Palestinians are seen as troublemakers, which in the volatile world of Arab politics, is undesirable. The fact they have laid themselves down at Hamas’s feet … makes them difficult to be supported by the Sunni States.
Most Arabs wish that the Palestinians and Hamas would just go away. If Israel were to annex both Gaza and the West Bank and integrate these areas into Israel, the Arab countries would breathe a collective sigh of relief while at the same time [making] all the ‘right’ noises for the world’s stage. One thing the Arab governments will want is that Israel has the resolve to annihilate Hamas because it saves them a job they would dearly like to do themselves.
It’s easy for individuals, political groups, and governments to talk about “solidarity” with the Palestinian people. But when faced with the reality of Palestinians actually arriving in their countries, all that solidarity flies out the window.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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Comments
Gaza ARABS adopted the label, “Palestinians” from the Romans who named the land Palestine.
NOBODY wants these people; Not Jordan, not Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar (they’ll provide housing for the “rich” Arab Gazan muckily mucks) but no permanent residency. Add Yemen, Oman, Iran (though Iran pays Hamas to do its dirty work) to the list. Why? They’re simply nasty, cruel, etc. in the worst ways.
Black African bullshit. Love it. Ship all the Gazans to SA. They have plenty of room. Follow it up with all the “West Bank” arabs.
South Africa seems to be the Martha’s Vineyard of the African continent.
“Wow, it’s true! The peasants ARE revolting!”
I thought goat cheese was revolting until I tried it. Then I said, “Yassar, that’s not half bad.”
😁
Coincidentally, tried goat milk yesterday for the first time. Now, I don’t have the palate of an Escoffier (or even a Gordon Ramsey) but I couldn’t tell it from whole cows’ milk (maybe a tad more generous with the cream). Learn something every day.
Jihad has been conquering Africa for a very long time, nobody has put up a meaningful defense yet
I am surprised that Ramaphosa let them get off the plane. It would not have been that hard to keep them aboard, refuel the plane, and eventually they [the crew if no one else] would have gotten hungry/thirsty enough to take off again and go elsewhere.
In any case, smuggling Palestinians into South Africa and other Palestinian supporting countries strikes me as good recreational therapy for the IDF.
Subotai Bahadur
Just think, Biden wanted to allow Palestinian refugees to come here! We can only guess came in over the border!
“A humanitarian group intervened to offer accommodation and support”
The group was not named. I can guess funded by Iran and staffed by the prior shipment of 176 Palestinians.
Gift of the Givers founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman was likely involved.
‘We stand in solidarity’….not THAT kind!
“No. Wait. We don’t mean like that!”
Martha’s Vineyard style solidarity.
“South Africa Talked Solidarity — Until 153 Palestinians Actually Showed Up”
Martha’s Vineyard’s hoity-toities expressed solidarity with the “undocumented immigrants” until they showed up.
good comparison; as long as you can arm chair moralize and condem others it’s all good.
That’s true. They all said “Come here” and were then aghast that’s exactly what happened. But I don’t see the same hypocrisy here with South Africa. The SA govt never told the Pallies they could find a home there (SA) or would be welcome. They supported the Pallies’ fight against Israel, but this does not imply that the Pallies would be welcome in SA. Indeed, it seems rather to support Palestinian statehood in territory the Pallies claim as their own. The concept of Palestinian statehood doesn’t involve the movement of Pallies to anywhere (except maybe into Israel), much less to SA.
“At the start of the Israel–Hamas war, it seemed a no-brainer that Egypt or Jordan would accept Gazans seeking refuge. But both countries refused.”
Say what now?
It was (and remains) a no-brainer that neither Egypt nor Jordan would accept Pali Arab refugees beyond a token few too young, old, or ailing to make trouble. Jordan in particular learned the folly of doing so back in 1970. They’re so noxiously violent that not even their ‘brothers in Islam’ want them around.
Nothing says hypocrisey like refusing to take the people that you have championed and turned into saints because you are afrraid of the chaos and violence they will cause. Of course you condemned and demonized Israel for standing up to these violent Islamists. Not such angels are they? So South Africa should be forced to drop their ICC complaint now or really put their money where their fat liar mouth is and take in 500,000 Gazans.
The fact is, NO ONE actually wants them.
They’ve acted like savage vermin for far too long.
So, even the commie South Africans don’t want them? Huh.
I think Canada, the UK and Ireland should be sent all of them since they recognized the state of Palestine and love them so much. I feel bad for the sane people living there but you elected those governments so reap the whirlwind.
Not Canada, They’re too close. May I suggest China. They could use some diversity,
That would be perfect. You’d think the Chinese would love to have another minority group they could abuse, they seem to be so enamored of the activity.
It was clear that South Africa was setup as a Republic separate from the UK after WW2 and like the USA does with Native Americans they did with Blacks and setup certain areas. Once the ANC started it took years but Nelson Mandela was finally released from jail and later the laws that banned him from voting and being in government were revoked. He was made the leader of the country but once he left it took a far left turn.
White people are not just farmers, but tradesmen, high tech, and academics. The Whites have been attacked and killed. Now it is legal for whites to have their property taken and if they are killed nothing is done.
Overall SA is having power issues, food issues, and the government is letting in these Palestinians. The problem is that Palestinians are not allowed in by all Arab Nations as they have had problems with them when they are in their countries. SA government is not running the country well and it will fail.
“One thing the Arab governments will want is that Israel has the resolve to annihilate Hamas because it saves them a job they would dearly like to do themselves.”
This is the cold hard truth.