The Palestine Solidarity Alliance, the Media Review Network, and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign
are gravely concerned that, despite public warnings to South African citizens serving in Israel’s
Occupation Army (IDF) issued by DIRCO Minister Naledi Pandor, recruitment for it may still be
underway in SA. Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshaveni recently confirmed that
individuals participating in the Middle East war are a threat to the interests of the republic and will be
prosecuted.
According to these solidarity groups, the man at the centre of this recent wave of recruitments is
Colonel Golan Vach, described as a 35-year veteran in the IDF. He is linked to an event dubbed as an
Expo for potential Olims, hosted by the Israel Centre and Jewish Agency for Israel. However, we
believe it is a mere cover to recruit mercenaries that will assist Israel to kill Palestinians.
Vach is a self-confessed killer and a war criminal. He is responsible for the killing of at least two
Palestinians, having spent three months in recent combat operations in Gaza. The three organisations
want him arrested to face trial in South Africa for various crimes against humanity, war crimes,
spreading disinformation, recruiting South Africans to fight in a third country, and furthering the
military interests of Israel in an armed conflict against South African law. Liar-in-chief Vach is also
accused of disinforming the international community about the tales of decapitated babies.
But Golan Vach is not alone, as he has been aided and abetted by South African Zionist groups bent on
selling Palestinian land to willing racist buyers here. This event was held recently in Cape Town,
resulting in the disturbance of peace and harmony in the community, and is due to take place in
Johannesburg in the next two days, 7-8 April 2024.
“We are aware that Israel’s genocidal war on the besieged Gaza Strip has now entered the 6th month,
resulting in massive numbers of massacres and widespread destruction. Despite UN resolutions
including the recent Security Council ceasefire resolution, the Netanyahu regime remains adamant to
continue pummeling Gaza, and using starvation as a weapon of war. We demand that this be put to a
stop,” a spokesperson for the solidarity groups said.
Reports list the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza to be close to 34 000, mostly women and
children. But the resistance has put the occupying power on the back foot. Recent reports by the IDF
indicate that close to 700 soldiers and police were killed whilst thousands are seeking various medical
and psychological support. And with large sections of the Israeli population seeking to emigrate, the
Zionist state is thus desperate to bolster its troops. This has given rise to this new spurt to recruit
foreign mercenaries with South Africa as one of its hunting grounds.
This man must be arrested.
- We call on Police Minister Bheki Cele to urgently intervene by probing Vach’s purpose and
role in South Africa. Arrest Vach before it is too late! - We also call on the National Prosecution Authority to urgently give effect to the numerous
complaints lodged against individuals and organisations for being in violation of the Foreign
Military Assistance Act (FMAA). - We urge the Ministry of Justice to proactively intervene by probing the activities of groups
such as the Israel Centre, Jewish Agency for Israel, and their roles in advocacy of Aliyah. - We further call on the South African Police Services and the National Prosecuting Authority
(NPA) to investigate Zionist organizations like the SAZF and SAJBD for their support to the
Israel apartheid state. This uncritical support has gone on for decades and it includes the
genocide spoken to above as well the gross human rights violations in Gaza, as well as the
current reign of terror by Israeli settlers on the West Bank and the detention without trial of
8000 Palestinians there.
Whilst we support our government’s bold initiative to haul Israel to the International Court of Justice,
we ask them to put a stop to South African soil being used to undermine the cause of justice and
freedom for Palestinians.
For additional comment, contact
Altaaf Adam, PSA, +27 81 516 4126
Iqbal Jassat, MRN, +27 83 594 3749
Martin Jansen, PSC, +27 82 870 2025
Note for Editors
Fact File: Colonel Golan Vach
Who is Colonel Golan Vach and what is his mission in South Africa?
- Vach is a soldier in Israel’s Occupation Army (IDF)
- He is featured as guest of an Aliyah Expo in South Africa
- The event is hosted by Israel Centre and The Jewish Agency for Israel
- Purpose is “… to offer comprehensive information on various facets of life in Israel, including
Aliyah rights, employment opportunities, programmes for young olim, and more.” - In his role as a soldier in Gaza, he told the Jewish Journal in an interview: “We destroyed hundreds
of buildings…”
Col. Golan Vach: I was born and raised in Kiryat Arba and attended Yeshivat Or Etzion, a military
high school. So I’ve been in uniform since the age of fourteen – that’s thirty-five years. I was in the
pre-military mechinah of the yeshivah for two years and then joined the paratroopers, ultimately
serving as commander of Maglan [the elite commando unit within the paratroopers].
Subsequently, I served in the Givati Brigade, which is responsible for executing missions and
performing regular operations to maintain the security of Israel’s South. In 2009, I transferred to the
Home Front Command, where I established the Search and Rescue Battalion. - Vach is not a credible speaker and has, in the past, spread misinformation about what unfolded on
Oct. 7th leading to an increase in anti-Palestinian hate.
Particularly, he claimed that during the rescue operations in Kibbutz Be’eri, he saw decapitated
babies. He told Israeli media that “The baby was decapitated. I carried the baby with my own hands”.
He then got on a call “with a group of international journalists” and said that he had “found one baby
with his head cut.” Among those on the call were The New York Times, NBC News, AFP, and CBS
who all published his claims giving way to other outlets such as NPR, France24, and CBS to further
publish this misinformation.
Notably, as Ahmed El-Din reports, while on the call Vach “[dodged] any questions about evidence and
told journalists he can’t share the photo. Then that he would later. Then said there is no photo. All on
[the] same call.”
