"South African authorities are facing heavy criticism after they held more than 150 Palestinians, including a woman who was nine months pregnant, on a plane for about 12 hours because of problems with their travel documents. A pastor who was allowed to meet the passengers while they were stuck on the plane said it was extremely hot and that children were screaming and crying."
"The Palestinian passengers' documents did not have exit stamps from Israeli authorities, did not indicate how long they would be staying in South Africa and did not provide local addresses, leading immigration authorities to deny them entry, the statement said. The 153 passengers, including families and children, were allowed to leave the plane on Thursday night after South Africa's home affairs ministry intervened and a local nongovernmental organisation, Gift of the Givers, offered to accommodate them."
South African authorities held 153 Palestinian passengers, including families, children and a woman nine months pregnant, on a charter plane for about 12 hours because of travel document problems. The passengers landed at Johannesburg's OR Tambo after a stopover in Nairobi and were denied entry because their documents lacked Israeli exit stamps, did not state intended length of stay and provided no local addresses. Conditions on the plane were described as extremely hot with distressed children. After intervention by the home affairs ministry and accommodation offered by Gift of the Givers, 23 passengers left for other countries and 130 remained in South Africa. The plane was reported to be the second carrying Palestinians in two weeks and some passengers said they did not know their destination; many now intend to claim asylum.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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