Andrew Feinstein is a South African-born former politician, investigative journalist, and global arms trade expert. He served as an African National Congress (ANC) Member of Parliament under Nelson Mandela’s government and is now based in London, where he works to expose corruption and violence within the global arms trade.
Feinstein is renowned for his courage in uncovering international arms scandals. His seminal book, The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade, was adapted into a powerful documentary exposing how the military-industrial complex manipulates global conflicts through corruption. During his political career in South Africa, he served as a senior member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) and earned a reputation as an anti-corruption hero for his relentless investigation into government arms deal irregularities.
As the son of a Holocaust survivor, Feinstein firmly rejects the conflation of Jewish identity with Israeli military actions. He frequently points out that the international arms trade is a key factor in sustaining the occupation and publicly calls for a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel. Feinstein once introduced the first ever motion on the Holocaust in South African parliamentary history. He stated: “Like we experienced in South Africa, ultimately, it will be the Palestinian people. Tens of millions of people are engaging in BDS [Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions] and isolating Israel, which is going to lead to freedom for Palestine.”
And he also expressed his dissatisfaction with Starmer, who was then a member of the opposition party: “Not one of our senior politicians, including my own MP, who is the leader of the main opposition party and could well be prime minister after this election, can call for an unqualified ceasefire and a halt to arm sales to Israel.”