• The G20 ‘cannot be bogged down by someone who's absent,’ Ronald Lamola says on US absence in upcoming leaders’ summit

ISTANBUL

South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said Monday that the arrival in Johannesburg last week of a plane carrying Palestinian refugees was a “clearly orchestrated operation” to displace Palestinians.

The flight appeared to be part of a “broader agenda” to relocate Palestinians from Palestine to multiple countries, Lamola told reporters at a news conference.

“It's a clearly orchestrated operation because they are not only being sent to South Africa. There are other countries where such flights have been sent,” he said.

He said the government was “suspicious” of the circumstances surrounding the plane’s arrival and the “issue of concern” was under investigation.

“We do not want any further flights to come our way because this is a clear agenda to cleanse out the Palestinians out of Gaza and the West Bank,” he noted.

Lamola said the information currently available indicates the passengers did not have the required permits, but the matter is under investigation and authorities will determine the full facts, with a comprehensive outcome expected.

Last Thursday, South Africa granted a 90-day visa exemption for 153 Palestinians who arrived from Kenya to seek asylum in the country, although they were initially denied entry due to a lack of travel documents and customary departure stamps in their passports.

According to the Israeli daily Haaretz, an association run by a man holding dual Israeli-Estonian citizenship sells Palestinians in Gaza seats on chartered flights heading to far-off countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and South Africa for around $2,000.

Israel had previously discussed with several countries, including South Sudan, the possibility of relocating Palestinians there.

'Doors remain open' for US at G20 Leaders' Summit

The news conference came as South Africa, which currently holds the G20 presidency, the first African nation to do so, prepared to host the G20 Leaders’ Summit on Nov. 22-23 in Johannesburg.

US President Donald Trump earlier said that no US officials will attend the summit, accusing Africa’s most industrialized nation of “human rights abuses” against the white Afrikaner population.

Lamola said the US’s absence was being treated as “nonattendance,” with negotiations on the leaders’ declaration continuing among attending countries and a decision expected later in the week.

“We are forging ahead to persuade the countries that are present that we must adopt a leaders’ declaration because the institution cannot be bogged down by someone who's absent,” he said.

The minister said four nations would not be represented at the head of state level at the summit, with Russia, Mexico and Argentina attending via foreign ministers and China by Premier Li Qiang.

He said such delegations are normal at multilateral forums and it is not a “snub or undermining of Africa.”

“We have a strong belief that with those who are present, a consensus can be built for the leaders’ summit to be able to adopt a declaration,” he added.

Lamola said South Africa’s draft G20 declaration focuses on the global development agenda, views the group’s diversity as a strength rather than a source of division, and aims to foster open and fair negotiations.

“Even with the US, when they raised concerns, we did our best to accommodate them, and they did come back into some of the meetings at some point,” he noted.

South Africa’s “doors remain open” for the US, he said, adding that negotiations with attending members continue toward an ambitious declaration for Africa, the Global South and the world.