With its envoy booted, Israel avoids African Union summit closing ceremony
Sharon Bar-li was escorted out of regional assembly on Saturday, apparently at behest of South Africa and Algeria, as Israel’s status continues to split 55-member bloc
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
After its observer delegation was kicked out of the African Union summit opening ceremony in Addis Ababa on Saturday, Israel will stay away from the closing ceremony Sunday evening, an Israeli diplomatic official told The Times of Israel.
Also Sunday, South Africa’s governing African National Congress party welcomed the “encouraging” expulsion of Sharon Bar-li, Israel’s Foreign Ministry deputy director general for Africa.
Israel blamed the incident on Algeria and South Africa, and will summon the latter country’s charge d’affaires to the Foreign Ministry for a reprimand from Director General Ronen Levy. However, the African Union said Sunday that Israel’s observer status at the bloc had been suspended pending a discussion on its continued role as observer, and therefore it had not been invited to the weekend summit.
Vincent Magwenya, spokesman for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who was present at the summit, demanded that Israel “substantiate their claim.”
The ANC said her removal was aimed at “thwarting an attempt to undermine the current sitting AU Summit from considering a report that is supposed to guide discussions on whether Israel must be granted an observer status.”
Last week, Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra flew to South Africa to coordinate ahead of the summit, according to Algerian outlets.
Israeli sources said the countries were discussing ways to boot Israel, as well as their support for Western Sahara’s Polisario Front, which is fighting for Sahrawi independence from Morocco.
The issue of Israel’s observer status has caused deep discord in the 55-member bloc.
Israel was granted observer status in 2021, but at last year’s summit, a debate on the issue was suspended in a bid to avoid a vote that would create an unprecedented rift in the Union. The AU chairman created a six-country committee to examine the issue.
Israel and its allies in the organization say that its observer status was never rescinded, but its foes, backed by AU Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat, argue that it is suspended until the committee comes back with a recommendation.
“That means that the status is suspended until such time as this committee can deliberate… and so we did not invite Israeli officials to our summit,” Faki told reporters on Sunday, adding that an investigation was being conducted
The spokesperson for the chairman of the AU Commission Ebba Kalondo also said the expelled Israeli diplomat had not been personally invited to the summit.
An Israeli diplomatic spokesperson insisted Bar-li had “valid accreditation as an observer,” accusing the AU of being “hostage to a small number of extremist states like Algeria and South Africa, motivated by hatred and controlled by Iran.”
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lior Hayat said, “Israel views seriously the incident in which the deputy for Africa, Ambassador Sharon Bar-li, was removed from the African Union hall despite her status as an accredited observer with access badges.”
“There is no basis in the organization’s rules for the attempt to cancel Israel’s observer status,” the Foreign Ministry said. “There is a clear majority that supports Israel’s observer status at the organization.”
AFP contributed to this report.
