A senior Israeli diplomat on Saturday was asked to leave the session of the African Union’s annual summit in Ethiopia, in a move that some observers saw as “an African rejection of a fait accompli that Israel wants to impose on the continent,” which has long fought colonialism.
Meanwhile, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Ahmed Aboul Gheit praised the “solid” Arab-African partnership, saying that he was looking forward for the fifth Arab-African summit, which will convene in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia later this year.
“This will achieve a quantum leap in the strategic partnership between the two sides, in a way that reflects the historical ties and common interests between them,” he told the conference.
For his part, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, stressed the importance of strengthening the Arab-African dialogue, adding that Palestine’s invitation to attend the African Union summit was “a message of solidarity with the inalienable Palestinian rights.”
Addressing the opening session of the summit, which is held in the Ethiopian capital, Shtayyeh thanked the African leaders for the opportunity to speak on behalf of Palestine from the AU platform.
“A free Africa, which defeated colonialism and lit a bright future for its people, today enjoys… free movement and free trade away from military and customs barriers,” he said.
The Palestinian premier voiced his appreciation for the African countries’ support to Palestine, saying his participation in the AU summit confirmed the endeavor to “work together for the well-being of Africa, to be free from violence, poverty and unemployment.”
Shtayyeh noted that his country was facing “the last colonization on earth,” represented by the Israeli settlement of the Palestinian land.
“This colonization was recently crowned by the new Israeli government with more land confiscation,” he said, adding that Palestinian residents have become “refugees through the construction of more Israeli settlements approved by the current government.”
This came as a video widely circulated on social media platforms showed security personnel escorting Sharon Bar-Li, deputy for African affairs in the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, out of the summit hall, following a dispute over Israel’s accreditation to the bloc.
“Israel looks harshly upon the incident in which the deputy director for Africa, Ambassador Sharon Bar-Li, was removed from the African Union hall despite her status as an accredited observer with entrance badges,” the Israeli foreign ministry later said in a statement.
Moussa Faki, Chairperson of the African Union Commission in 2021, agreed unilaterally, and without consulting the AU member-states, to accredit Israel as an “observer”. The move sparked a dispute within the organization.
The African Union summit last year decided to suspend Israel’s accreditation and to form a committee of seven members, headed by Algeria and South Africa, to determine whether or not to grant Israel the status of “observer”.
Officials from South Africa and Algeria said earlier that granting Israel an observer status “contradicts the positions of the African Union in support of the Palestinians.”
In response to a question about Israel’s accusations against South Africa and Algeria of being behind the expulsion of its envoy, Vincent Magwenya, spokesman for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, told AFP: “They must substantiate their claim.”
Commenting on the incident, Ambassador Salah Halima, former Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Chairperson of the Egyptian Parliament for African Affairs committee, said that the decision to grant Israel the status of observer at the African Union was a “mistake from the beginning.”
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Halima said that expelling the Israeli envoy and preventing her from attending the AU sessions “does not violate diplomatic rules,” pointing out that Israel’s membership was suspended based on a previous decision of the summit.
He also noted that Israel’s membership in the Organization of the African Union “contradicts the history of the organization and the continent,” noting that Africa fought a long struggle to resist colonialism and occupation of its lands by foreign countries.
More than two-thirds of the AU member states recognize Israel and maintain diplomatic relations with it.
