Israel’s observer status in the African Union has been suspended, Musa Faki, chairman of the union commission, said. So he explained why the Israeli delegation was expelled from the opening ceremony of the African Union summit.
“The status is suspended until the committee (to resolve the Israeli question in the union.— “uh”) will not be able to study the issue … and therefore we did not invite Israeli officials to our summit,” Mr. Faki told reporters (quoted by AFP).
During the opening ceremony of the summit, security guards approached the Israeli delegation and demanded to leave. The Israeli Foreign Ministry then accused South Africa and Algeria of serious diplomatic violations.
The chairman of the African Union Commission decided to grant Israel observer status in 2021. The decision was met with protests, including from South Africa.