Today, Saturday, Israel condemned the expulsion of its envoy from the African Union summit held in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, accusing Iran, its archenemy, of orchestrating the move with the help of Algeria and South Africa. The network shows security guards escorting Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister for African Affairs Sharon Bar-Lee at the entrance to the African Union summit in Addis Ababa.
An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman described the incident as “serious” and noted that Bar-Lee was “an authorized observer with an access card”, which an EU official denied.
“It is sad to see the African Union held hostage by a small number of extremist countries like Algeria and South Africa that are driven by hate and controlled by Iran,” he added.
The spokesman added that African countries must “oppose these actions, which are detrimental to the African Union and the entire continent.”
An African Union spokesman told AFP that the diplomat, who was “asked to leave”, did not receive an invitation to the meeting and extended an unscheduled invitation to Israel’s Ambassador to the African Union, Alili Admas.
“Unfortunately, the person concerned misused this gesture,” he added.
In response to a question about Israel’s accusations against South Africa and Algeria of being involved in what happened, Vincent Magwenya, spokesman for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, told AFP during the summit: “He has to provide evidence to back up his claims.”
Israel gained observer status with the African Union in 2021 after decades of diplomatic efforts that sparked protests from powerful members of the bloc such as South Africa and Algeria, who said it ran counter to the African Union’s pro-Palestinian stance.
Last year, there was a state of discontent over Israel’s accreditation as an observer to the African Union, with the Palestinians demanding that its accreditation be withdrawn.
The 2022 summit suspended discussions on revoking Israel’s accreditation and formed a committee to look into the matter.
The controversy began when Musa Faki Mahamat, chairman of the African Union Commission, agreed to accredit Israel as an observer, sparking controversy within the body, which values the importance of consensus.
The African Union did not say whether Israel’s observer status would be discussed at this year’s summit.
