Israeli ambassador to Ethiopia booted from African Union meeting
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The Israeli Ambassador to Ethiopia was kicked out after several African countries objected to his participation in a session on the Rwanda genocide.
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Avraham Neguise, the Israeli Ambassador to Ethiopia May 9, 2017 (Wikimedia Commons)
Israeli Ambassador to Ethiopia Avraham Neguise has been expelled from an African Union conference held today in Addis Ababa commemorating the Rwandan genocide.
Neguise was removed from the Mandela Hall at the African Union Headquarters after several countries objected to his presence over his participation in the annual meeting on the genocide that took place in Rwanda.
The participation of the Israeli ambassador was unexpected, according to diplomatic sources who attended the meeting.
The sources added that delegations from several African countries objected to his presence, leading to a pause in the meeting until his departure.
The African Union is reportedly investigating to determine who invited him.
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was the first entity granted observer status in the African Union in 1973 and continues to enjoy strong support from most African countries.
In recent years, "Israel" has sought observer status at the African Union to counter Palestinian influence and managed to obtain observer status in 2021, but it was later expelled by a decision of African countries due to its violation of the African Union Charter’s conditions for observer membership, citing its continued occupation of Palestinian territories.
Since then, several Israeli ambassadors and diplomats have been expelled from African Union meetings.
In February 2023, an Israeli delegation attending the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa was expelled from the opening ceremony, prompting the Israeli Ministry to accuse South Africa and Algeria of committing a serious diplomatic violation.
The Walla news website reported that security guards approached the Israeli delegation during the ceremony.
"Israel takes seriously the incident in which Deputy Ambassador for Africa Sharon Bar-Li was removed from the African Union hall despite her status as an accredited observer with badges," Israeli ministry spokesman Lior Hayat said.
Members of the African Union, however, remained firm in their rejection of "Israel’s" presence, considering the ongoing Israeli genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
Although "Israel" was readmitted as an observer member to the pan-African bloc in 2021, in January 2022, Algerian diplomats introduced a motion to revoke the newly reinstated status.
