Analysts and legal experts have cast doubt as to whether South Africa will follow through with its pledge and prosecute citizens who are fighting for Israel in the besieged Gaza Strip, given Pretoria’s years-long inability to hold dual-nationals accountable for serving in foreign armies.
Early last month, the South African Foreign Ministry said it was “gravely concerned” by reports that some South African nationals were fighting with the Israeli army despite it being prohibited under South African law.
In what was referred to as a watershed moment, the ministry said the State Security Agency (SSA) was tracking down individuals believed to be fighting for Israel and that naturalised citizens, not South Africans by birth, risked being stripped of their citizenship for engaging in a war that the country “does not support or agree with”.
Several analysts and experts, however, told Middle East Eye that while they were encouraged by the government’s initial statement, the…
