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Israel to Join African Union as Observer Country

Israeli Ambassador to Ethiopia, Burundi, and Chad Aleli Admasu with the AU Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat (African Union)
Israeli Ambassador to Ethiopia, Burundi, and Chad Aleli Admasu with the AU Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat (African Union)
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Israel to Join African Union as Observer Country

Israeli Ambassador to Ethiopia, Burundi, and Chad Aleli Admasu with the AU Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat (African Union)
Israeli Ambassador to Ethiopia, Burundi, and Chad Aleli Admasu with the AU Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat (African Union)

Israel's Foreign Ministry announced Thursday that the country will be joining the African Union (AU) as an observer state.

Israeli Ambassador to Ethiopia, Burundi, and Chad Aleli Admasu presented his credentials to the AU Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat.

Israel enjoyed observer status in the predecessor Organization of African Unity until 2002 when it was expelled for its policy against Palestinians during the second intifada.

The former Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has refocused his efforts to rejoin the Union and prioritized Israel’s relations with Africa during the latter half of his 12 years in office.

Besides seeking new markets for Israeli agriculture, high-tech, and security, the former prime minister was eager to improve African nations’ voting record on Israel-related matters in international forums such as the United Nations Security Council and UNESCO.

In July 2016, Netanyahu became the first Israeli premier in decades to travel to the continent when he visited four East African nations: Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, and Ethiopia.

In December of that year, Jerusalem hosted seven ministers and many other top officials from over 12 Western African countries at an agricultural conference in Israel, co-sponsored by ECOWAS and Mashav, Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation.

In June 2017, Netanyahu attended the annual conference by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), an organization that includes 15 nations with a combined population of some 320 million.

He was invited to the 51st Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Community in Monrovia, Liberia’s capital city.

“Israel is returning to Africa in a big way,” Netanyahu said before the trip.

Israel has relations with 46 of the 55 AU member states. Israel re-established ties with Guinea in 2016 and with Chad in 2019. Sudan proceeded to normalize relations with Israel after the Abraham Accords.

Foreign Minister, Yair Lapid, sent the Deputy Director-General of the Ministry, Aliza Ben-Nun, to Addis Ababa, where she met the ambassadors of 30 AU members and asked for their support for Israel as an observer member.

“This is a day of celebration for Israel-Africa relations,” said Lapid, adding that this diplomatic achievement resulted from efforts by the Foreign Ministry, the African Division, and Israeli embassies on the continent.

“This corrects the anomaly that existed for almost two decades,” he continued, “and is an important part of the strengthening of the fabric of Israel’s foreign relations. This will help us strengthen our activities in the continent and the organization’s member states.”

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New Orleans Attack Suspect Acted Alone, Supported ISIS, FBI Says

Louisiana National Guard stands guard at a gated off area of the French Quarter near the scene of the car ramming on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, 02 January 2025. (EPA)
Louisiana National Guard stands guard at a gated off area of the French Quarter near the scene of the car ramming on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, 02 January 2025. (EPA)
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New Orleans Attack Suspect Acted Alone, Supported ISIS, FBI Says

Louisiana National Guard stands guard at a gated off area of the French Quarter near the scene of the car ramming on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, 02 January 2025. (EPA)
Louisiana National Guard stands guard at a gated off area of the French Quarter near the scene of the car ramming on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, 02 January 2025. (EPA)

A US Army veteran who drove a truck into a crowd of New Year's Day revelers had pledged allegiance to ISIS, but acted alone in the attack that killed at least 14 people, the FBI said on Thursday.

The suspect, who was shot dead at the scene after firing at police, has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old Texan who once served in Afghanistan.

He drove from Houston to New Orleans on Dec. 31, and posted five videos on Facebook between 1.29 a.m. and 3.02 a.m. on the morning of the attack in which he said he supported ISIS, the extremist militant group with fighters in Iraq and Syria, the FBI said.

In the first video, Jabbar explains he had previously planned to harm his family and friends, but was concerned that the media coverage would not focus on the "war between the believers and the disbelievers," FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia said at a press conference.

Jabbar also said in the videos that he had joined ISIS before last summer and provided his last will and testament, Raia said.

"This was an act of terrorism," Raia said. "It was premeditated and an evil act."

New Orleans officials said the Sugar Bowl college football game that had been scheduled for Wednesday in a New Year's Day tradition would take place on Thursday afternoon. The city will also host the National Football League's Super Bowl next month.

The FBI said there appeared to be no link between the attack in New Orleans and the episode in Las Vegas on the same day in which a Tesla Cybertruck packed with gasoline canisters and large firework mortars exploded in flames outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House on Jan. 20.

The injured victims in the New Orleans attack included two police officers wounded by gunfire from the suspect, taking place a mere three hours into the new year on Bourbon Street in the historic French Quarter. At least 15 people were killed, including the suspect, the FBI said.

Among the victims were the mother of a 4-year-old who had just moved into a new apartment after getting a promotion at work, a New York financial employee and accomplished student-athlete who was visiting home for the holidays, and an 18-year-old aspiring nurse from Mississippi.

Witnesses described a horrifying scene.

"There were people everywhere," Kimberly Strickland of Mobile, Alabama, said in an interview. "You just heard this squeal and the rev of the engine and this huge loud impact and then the people screaming and debris - just metal - the sound of crunching metal and bodies."

Meanwhile, authorities in other US cities said they had boosted security, including at Trump Tower and Times Square in New York City, adding that there were no immediate threats.

In Washington, police also said they had increased their presence as the capital prepares to host three major events this month: Congress' Jan. 6 certification of US President-elect Donald Trump's presidential election win, the Jan. 9 state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter, and Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration.

The FBI said an ISIS flag was found on the trailer hitch of the rented vehicle involved in the New Orleans attack.

US President Joe Biden condemned what he called a "despicable" act.

Public records showed Jabbar worked in real estate in Houston. In a promotional video posted four years ago, Jabbar described himself as born and raised in Beaumont, a city about 80 miles (130 km) east of Houston.

Jabbar was in the regular Army from March 2007 until January 2015 and then in the Army Reserve from January 2015 until July 2020, an Army spokesperson said. He deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010 and held the rank of staff sergeant at the end of service.