Algeria and 7 Arab Countries Object Granting "Israel" Observer Status in AU
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An Arab League memo strenuously objected the unilateral decision taken by the African Union's Commissioner to grant Israel Observer status.
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A copy of the Arab League's memo
Algerian media outlets published a memo by the Arab League, signed by Algeria, Egypt, Comoros, Djibouti, Libya, Mauritania, Tunisia, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Palestine, Yemen, and the Arab League's Delegation to the African Union.
According to the document, an official memo was handed to the African Union Commission. The signatories strongly object to the commissioner's unilateral decision to grant "Israel" observer status, demanding that the AU rescind it.
Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra said the move was illegitimate because it was done without consulting other member states, and Algeria will "not stand idly by in front of this step taken by Israel and the African Union without consulting the member states."
"The African Union's acceptance of Israel as an observer member aims to strike the stability of Algeria, which stands with Palestine and just causes," he added.
The Algerian Foreign Ministry also said that since this decision was taken without "broad prior consultations with all member states," then "it has neither the vocation nor the capacity to legitimize the practices and behaviors of the said new observer which are totally incompatible with the values, principles, and objectives enshrined in the 'Constitutive Act of the African Union.'"
Israel had obtained observer status at the AU on Thursday in a move that was considered a diplomatic victory for the occupation.
