{"id":4111,"date":"2023-02-18T16:04:35","date_gmt":"2023-02-18T16:04:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=4111"},"modified":"2023-03-23T18:53:25","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T18:53:25","slug":"4111-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/diplomatic-world\/4111-2\/2023\/02\/18\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel condemns expulsion of diplomats from African Union summit"},"content":{"rendered":"

JERUSALEM(AFP)-On<\/span> Saturday,<\/span> Israel<\/span> condemned<\/span> the<\/span> “grave”<\/span> expulsion<\/span> of<\/span> senior<\/span> diplomats<\/span> from<\/span> the<\/span> African<\/span> Union<\/span> summit<\/span> and<\/span> accused<\/span> arch-enemy<\/span> Iran<\/span> of<\/span> coordinating<\/span> the<\/span> move<\/span> with<\/span> the<\/span> help<\/span> of<\/span> Algeria<\/span> and<\/span> South<\/span> Africa.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Security<\/span> guards<\/span> escorting<\/span> the<\/span> Israeli<\/span> Foreign<\/span> Ministry’s<\/span> deputy<\/span> director<\/span> for<\/span> Africa<\/span> Sharon<\/span> Bari<\/span> from<\/span> his<\/span> AU<\/span> parliament<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> Ethiopian<\/span> capital<\/span> Addis<\/span> Ababa<\/span> have<\/span> been<\/span> circulating<\/span> on<\/span> social<\/span> media.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>A<\/span> spokesman<\/span> for<\/span> the<\/span> Israeli<\/span> Ministry<\/span> of<\/span> Foreign<\/span> Affairs<\/span> described<\/span> the<\/span> incident<\/span> as<\/span> “serious”<\/span> and<\/span> said<\/span> Barli<\/span> was<\/span> an<\/span> “accredited<\/span> observer<\/span> with<\/span> an<\/span> immigration<\/span> tag”,<\/span> but<\/span> AU<\/span> officials<\/span> denied<\/span> the<\/span> allegations.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“It<\/span> is<\/span> sad<\/span> to<\/span> see<\/span> the<\/span> African<\/span> Union<\/span> being<\/span> held<\/span> hostage<\/span> by<\/span> a<\/span> handful<\/span> of<\/span> militant<\/span> states<\/span> driven<\/span> by<\/span> hate<\/span> and<\/span> controlled<\/span> by<\/span> Iran,<\/span> such<\/span> as<\/span> Algeria<\/span> and<\/span> South<\/span> Africa,”<\/span> said<\/span> a<\/span> ministry<\/span> spokesman.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>African<\/span> countries<\/span> should<\/span> “oppose<\/span> the<\/span> African<\/span> Union<\/span> movement<\/span> and<\/span> these<\/span> actions<\/span> that<\/span> damage<\/span> the<\/span> entire<\/span> continent,”<\/span> the<\/span> spokesman<\/span> added.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>An<\/span> AU<\/span> official<\/span> told<\/span> AFP<\/span> that<\/span> the<\/span> diplomat<\/span> who<\/span> was<\/span> “asked<\/span> to<\/span> leave”<\/span> had<\/span> not<\/span> been<\/span> invited<\/span> to<\/span> attend<\/span> the<\/span> meeting,<\/span> with<\/span> a<\/span> non-transferable<\/span> invitation<\/span> only<\/span> issued<\/span> to<\/span> Israel’s<\/span> ambassador<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> African<\/span> Union,<\/span> Aleli<\/span> Admasu.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“It<\/span> is<\/span> regrettable<\/span> that<\/span> the<\/span> individual<\/span> in<\/span> question<\/span> would<\/span> abuse<\/span> such<\/span> a<\/span> courtesy,”<\/span> the<\/span> official<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Asked<\/span> about<\/span> Israel’s<\/span> accusations<\/span> that<\/span> South<\/span> Africa<\/span> and<\/span> Algeria<\/span> were<\/span> behind<\/span> the<\/span> move,<\/span> Vincent<\/span> Magwenya,<\/span> spokesman<\/span> for<\/span> South<\/span> African<\/span> President<\/span> Cyril<\/span> Ramaphosa,<\/span> told<\/span> AFP<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> summit:<\/span>
\n<\/span>“They<\/span> must<\/span> substantiate<\/span> their<\/span> claim.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Israel<\/span> attained<\/span> observer<\/span> status<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> AU<\/span> in<\/span> 2021<\/span> after<\/span> decades<\/span> of<\/span> diplomatic<\/span> efforts,<\/span> drawing<\/span> protest<\/span> from<\/span> powerful<\/span> members<\/span> including<\/span> South<\/span> Africa<\/span> and<\/span> Algeria,<\/span> which<\/span> argued<\/span> that<\/span> it<\/span> flew<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> face<\/span> of<\/span> AU<\/span> statements<\/span> supporting<\/span> the<\/span> Palestinians.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Last<\/span> year,<\/span> unease<\/span> flared<\/span> over<\/span> the<\/span> accreditation<\/span> of<\/span> Israel<\/span> as<\/span> an<\/span> observer<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> AU,<\/span> with<\/span> the<\/span> Palestinians<\/span> —<\/span> who<\/span> also<\/span> have<\/span> an<\/span> observer<\/span> status<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> body<\/span> —<\/span> urging<\/span> it<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> withdrawn.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> 2022<\/span> summit<\/span> suspended<\/span> a<\/span> debate<\/span> on<\/span> whether<\/span> to<\/span> withdraw<\/span> the<\/span> accreditation<\/span> and<\/span> a<\/span> committee<\/span> was<\/span> formed<\/span> to<\/span> address<\/span> the<\/span> issue.<\/span> The<\/span> conflict<\/span> erupted<\/span> when<\/span> the<\/span> head<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> African<\/span> Union<\/span> Commission,<\/span> Moussa<\/span> Faki<\/span> Mahamat,<\/span> accepted<\/span> Israel’s<\/span> accreditation,<\/span> sparking<\/span> a<\/span> rare<\/span> controversy<\/span> within<\/span> an<\/span> organization<\/span> that<\/span> values<\/span> \u200b\u200bconsensus.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> AU<\/span> did<\/span> not<\/span> say<\/span> whether<\/span> Israel’s<\/span> status<\/span> will<\/span> be<\/span> discussed<\/span> at<\/span> this<\/span> year’s<\/span> summit.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Israel<\/span> previously<\/span> held<\/span> observer<\/span> status<\/span> with<\/span> the<\/span> Organization<\/span> of<\/span> African<\/span> Unity<\/span> (OAU),<\/span> but<\/span> after<\/span> her<\/span> OAU<\/span> was<\/span> dismantled<\/span> and<\/span> replaced<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> AU<\/span> in<\/span> 2002,<\/span> attempts<\/span> to<\/span> regain<\/span> observer<\/span> status<\/span> were<\/span> long<\/span> blocked.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

JERUSALEM(AFP)-On Saturday, Israel condemned the “grave” expulsion of senior diplomats from the African Union summit and accused arch-enemy Iran of coordinating the move with the help of Algeria and South Africa. Security guards escorting the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s deputy director for Africa Sharon Bari from his AU parliament in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4112,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[24,280,2450],"tags":[646,1066,1098,1136,1137],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ISRL.webp","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4111"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4111"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4111\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4115,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4111\/revisions\/4115"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}