High-ranking Israeli diplomat removed from African Union summit

 

Israeli Ambassador to Ethiopia Avraham Neguise (Photo via social media)

A high-ranking Israeli diplomat has been expelled from the annual summit of the African Union in Ethiopia due to a growing conflict regarding the Tel Aviv regime’s accreditation to the continental bloc.

On Monday, Israeli ambassador to Addis Ababa Avraham Neguise had to walk out of the auditorium during the opening ceremony of the summit to commemorate the 31st anniversary of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

The top Israeli diplomat was expelled after several African countries refused to allow him to participate in the African Union summit being held in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

A diplomatic source participating in the meeting revealed to Al Jazeera television news network that delegations from several African countries objected to the Israeli ambassador’s presence, and the meeting was suspended until his departure.

The African Union has reportedly launched an investigation to determine who had invited Neguise to the event.

In 2002, after the establishment of the African Union, observer status was granted to 87 non-member states and entities outside the African continent.

Observer status allows the member to attend African Union meetings and participate in certain discussions, but does not confer voting rights.

The first state to be granted observer status was the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1973, and it enjoys strong support from most African states.

In recent years, Israel has sought observer membership in the African Union to counter Palestinian influence, and was granted observer status in 2021.

However, Israel was later expelled by a decision of African states because its acceptance as an observer violated the terms of the African Union Charter due to its continued occupation of Palestinian territories.