The Israeli delegation was expelled from the opening ceremony of the African Union summit. On Saturday, February 18, the newspaper reported The Times of Israel with reference to the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
It is noted that during the opening ceremony, security guards approached the Israeli delegation and demanded to leave. Then, according to Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Hayat, Ambassador Sharon Bar-Lee was removed from the hall, despite her status as an accredited observer.
Hayat noted that Israel takes the incident seriously and considers the incident a diplomatic violation, notes “Gazeta.Ru”.
“It is sad to see the African Union being held hostage by a small number of extremist countries such as Algeria and South Africa, driven by hatred and controlled by Iran,” an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
He called on African countries to oppose these actions, stressing that they are damaging to the African Union itself and to the entire continent.
At the same time, according to the newspaper, the issue of Israel’s observer status at the summit caused deep divisions in the union.
On January 30, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a discussion with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to strengthen the alliance against Iran. Netanyahu vowed to do everything to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and their means of delivery.
Prior to this, a powerful explosion thundered at an Iranian military plant in Isfahan on the night of January 29. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Israelis launched a drone strike on the Iranian defense complex, because, together with the United States, they are trying to contain Tehran’s nuclear and military ambitions.
