• South Africa cancels a 90-day visa exemption for Palestinians due to alleged links to forced migration.
• The decision follows investigations into charter flights bringing Palestinians from Gaza.
• Mixed domestic reactions highlight concerns over collective punishment against Palestinian passport holders.

South Africa has officially canceled its 90-day visa exemption for Palestinian passport holders, citing investigations that revealed a "deliberate and ongoing abuse" of this exemption linked to Israeli efforts to facilitate what officials consider "forced migration" from Gaza. Minister of Home Affairs Dr. Leon Schreiber expressed that the exemption was being exploited by "Israeli actors" associated with the relocation of Gaza residents, stating this action aims to prevent further incidents of this nature while protecting genuine travelers from Palestine, according to Middle East Eye and Africa News.

The controversy was ignited by the arrival of charter flights that included a controversial flight carrying 153 individuals from Gaza, which Schreiber stated was organized with the intention of relocating Palestinians under dubious conditions. The South African Department of Home Affairs noted that these flights were not incidental but indicative of a broader strategy to displace Palestinians, according to Middle East Eye and Anadolu Agency.

The withdrawal of the visa exemption has received mixed reactions within South Africa. Critics argue that this move acts as collective punishment to all Palestinians, irrespective of their reasons for travel, with calls for the government to isolate the policy actions against the operators of these flights instead of penalizing Palestinian citizens. Ahmed Jhazbhay, a political science lecturer, voiced concerns that such actions fail to respect South Africa's historical commitment to humanitarian causes and instead reinforce xenophobic narratives, as reported by Anadolu Agency and Africa News.