An “Israeli” delegation was expelled from the African Union conference hall in Addis Ababa on Saturday morning, February 18, 2023.
The Israeli delegation was expelled from the African Union summit in Ethiopia due to pressure from South Africa and Algeria, according to various news reports.
Israel has had observer status in the African Union since 2021 after almost 20 years of effort. Israel was granted observer status in the African Union in July 2021, after losing its status in 2002 following pressure from former Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi.
According to “Israeli” media sources, the delegation included Sharon Barley, the Deputy Director for Africa at the Foreign Ministry.
The incident occurred during the opening ceremony when the security personnel of the conference approached the members of the Israeli delegation and asked them to leave the hall. A senior official at the Foreign Ministry said that the delegation members learned that South Africa and Algeria were behind the move.
This came days after media sources reported that South Africa and Algeria canceled an invitation sent by the AU Commission to “Israel” to attend the opening of the summit.
The sources pointed out that pressure was exerted by Algeria and Johannesburg and their allies on the continent, to prevent the “Israeli”from attending any activity at the summit.
Ebba Kalondo, the spokesperson for the African Union’s commission chairman, is quoted saying the diplomat had been removed because she was not the duly accredited Israeli ambassador to Ethiopia, the official who was expected.
South Africa rejected the claim that they were behind the decision to remove the diplomat, saying Israel’s application for observer status at the AU has not been decided upon by the bloc.
“Until the AU takes a decision on whether to grant Israel observer status, you cannot have the country sitting and observing,” Clayson Monyela, head of public diplomacy in South Africa’s department of international relations, told Reuters.
“So, it’s not about South Africa or Algeria, it’s an issue of principle.”