Israel's ambassador to Ethiopia was ejected from a conference at African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa commemorating the 31st anniversary of Rwanda's genocide against the Tutsi, two diplomats told AFP on Tuesday.
It was not immediately clear why Ambassador Avraham Neguise was asked to leave the event on Monday, held to mark the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda, which left at least 800,000 people dead in 1994.
Neguise participated in the first part of the event, a solidarity march inside AU headquarters, an Arab diplomat said.
"After that, the AU commission chairperson, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, refused to start the event inside the hall in the presence of the Israeli ambassador and asked him to get out," the diplomat said, requesting anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
"The Israeli ambassador left."
Another diplomatic source said the ambassador had been "sitting in a very visible seat, close to the Americans, and everything was delayed until he was asked to leave".
The source said it was unclear whether the move was a protest by AU member states over Israel's war in Gaza.
The Times of Israel quoted the Israeli foreign ministry as saying: "It is outrageous that at an event commemorating the victims of the Tutsi genocide in Rwanda, to which the Israeli ambassador in Addis Ababa was invited, (Youssouf) chose to introduce anti-Israel political elements."
Youssouf's spokesperson did not immediately respond to AFP's requests for comment.
It is not the first time Israel's presence has stirred criticism within the pan-African organization.
In 2022, the AU failed to conclude discussions on the contested accreditation of Israel as an observer country.
Algeria and South Africa, two financial heavyweights of the organization, particularly argued against the move.
Both countries have rifts with Israel: Algeria has no diplomatic ties with Israel, in protest over its treatment of the Palestinians, while South Africa has brought a case before the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
In 2023, an Israeli diplomat was also expelled from the AU assembly.
Youssouf, a Djiboutian national, took office as AU commission chairperson in February after serving nearly 20 years as foreign minister of the small Horn of Africa country.
