Israel slammed Saturday the removal of its observer delegation from an African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, saying it was a severe breach of protocol.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
According to reports, the security personnel approached the Israeli team – headed by the Foreign Ministry's Deputy Director for Africa Sharon Bar-Li – during the opening ceremony and asked them to leave the hall.
"Israel views seriously the severe incident in which ambassador Sharon Bar-Li, was removed from the African Union hall despite her status as an accredited observer with access badges," the Foreign Ministry's Lior Haiat said, adding that members of the delegation learned that South Africa and Algeria were behind the move.
"It is sad 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 and controlled by Iran," Haiat said, calling on "African countries to stand against these actions that harm the organization of the African Union itself and the entire continent."
The African Union has been deeply divided since Israel was granted observer status in 2021, following some 20 years of diplomatic efforts. In February last year, the organization pushed off debate on a vote over Israel's membership, setting up a committee to examine the matter instead, with the findings to be presented this year.
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
