Israel condemns the “harsh” expulsion of its envoy from the 36th African Union Heads of State Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Saturday.
Israel believes that the decision to expel Sharon Bar-Lee and her deputies was made under pressure from South Africa and Algeria.
The deputy director for Africa at the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Sharon Bar-Lee, was expelled Saturday morning from the hall where the 36th African Union Heads of State Summit is being held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, despite her “observer status” and a badge to access the conference. Israel took the incident very seriously and pressured the organization to reinstate its delegation to the conference, after it was expelled under pressure from South Africa and Algeria.
Israeli delegation expelled from the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. pic.twitter.com/q7qGSPX3gE
— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) February 18, 2023
The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “it is regrettable that the African Union has been taken hostage by a small number of extremist countries, such as Algeria and South Africa, motivated by hate and controlled by Iran. We call on African countries to stand up against these actions that are damaging to the African Union organization itself and the entire continent.”
