Sources to Al Mayadeen: Israeli delegation expelled from AU summit
Members of the African Union pose for a group photo during the 36th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union in the city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (AFP)
An Israeli delegation that sneaked into the African Union summit on Saturday in Addis Ababa was expelled, according to sources to Al Mayadeen.
According to media reports, the African Union Commission revoked an invitation it had previously sent to "Israel" to attend the summit's opening in response to pressure from Algeria and South Africa to bar "Tel Aviv" from participating in any summit-related activities.
The issue of stripping "Israel" of its status as an observer member of the African Union will be at the heart of discussions at the regular African summit, according to Algerian media sources, after it was suspended earlier. The sources added that the Zionist entity is putting pressure on African countries to accept it as an observer member of the African Union, during the upcoming session.
When "Israel" was officially granted observer status in the African Union in July 2021, the move was met with criticism from the embassies of Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Palestine, and Yemen, as well as the League of Arab States mission with the African Arab embassies.
Israeli media reported that a senior Israeli diplomat was expelled from the African Union summit, under pressure from Algeria and South Africa.
In response to the incident, Israeli media reported, citing the Israeli occupation Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that the incident will be taken very seriously, claiming that the Israeli official, Sharon Bar-Lee, had all the necessary approvals to take part in the summit. "It is unfortunate to see that the African Union has been taken hostage by a small number of extremist countries such as Algeria and South Africa, driven by hatred."
It is worth mentioning that the African Union granted "Israel" observer status in July after a unilateral decision from the former AU chairperson, and the Israeli ambassador in Addis Ababa presented his letter of accreditation as an observer to the African Union.
Beginning in August of last year, the African Union Commission's chairperson was formally challenged by the Republic of Comoros, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Mauritania for accepting Israeli credentials as an observer member of the organization.
A committee made up of seven heads of state, including Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, was established by the African Union last year to study the issue after the organization unanimously decided to postpone its decision to grant "Israel" observer status within the organization.