The African Union held the opening of the 36th Ordinary Session in the city of Addis Adeba, capital of Ethiopia, on Saturday (February 18, 2023). On that occasion, members of Israeli diplomacy were escorted by security forces to exit the organization’s headquarters.
Sharon Barli, Deputy Director General for Africa at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was pulled from the event accompanied by her team. Before the ambassador left the site, he conferred with the security officials.
The government of Israel claims observer status. However, African Union President Moussa Faki Mahamat announced that Israel’s observer status with the organization has been suspended.
African Union President spokeswoman Ebba Kolondo also reiterated that diplomat Barli was removed because she was carrying an identification card in the name of Aleli Admasu, the Israeli ambassador to the African Union.
The organization’s commission granted Israel a license to accompany the African Union in 2021. However, the announcement sparked protests among members of the bloc. Mainly from South Africa and Algeria.
According to the Israeli newspaper The Times Of Israel, Lior Hayat, spokesman for the Israeli foreign ministry, blames South Africa and Algeria for the incident. He explained that the two nations are “driven by hate and controlled by Iran.”
This Monday (February 20), the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) thanked the suspension of Israel’s status as an “observer” in the African Union. “We call on the international community and the United Nations to criminalize Israeli occupation atrocities and repeated violations of the Palestinian people, Palestinian territories and holy places, and to support the struggle for Palestinian freedom,” the statement said.
The African Union was established in 1999 and formalized on July 9, 2002, replacing the OAU (Organization of African Unity) that had existed since 1963. The AU consists of 55 member states representing all countries of the African continent.
António Costa and António Guterres attended the African Union
United Nations SecretaryGeneral António Guterres announced a $250 million package for the CERF (Central Emergency Response Fund) to help fight hunger and address underfunded emergencies.
Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa backed European Council President Charles Michel’s proposal for an agreement between Europe and Africa to regulate migration flows.
Costa and Guterres also stressed the need to boost industrial production on the continent and provide technologies that facilitate access and energy.
According to the Portuguese Prime Minister, this will help create “jobs that give hope to the youth of this continent, who are not condemned to believe that they can only find a decent job if they risk their lives if they cross the Mediterranean”. .
“A transition to a clean energy future must address energy access issues and development challenges in a continent rich in fossil fuel sources and where millions are without electricity,” Guterres said.
According to data from the International Energy Agency’s report (4.5 MB), the African continent has nearly 1.3 billion inhabitants but will consume only 3% of the electricity in 2025.
correction
20/Feb/2023 (4:21pm) Contrary to what was published in this post, the truth is beinstead of is, and assigning blame for the incident to South Africa It is to Algeria, not South Africa and Algeria. In addition, the African Union Founded in 1999 and formalized on July 9, 2002 and not founded in July 2022. The above reporting has been corrected and updated.