14 African States Reject Israel’s Membership in African Union

Algiers, MINA – Algerian and international media outlets on Sunday reported that Algeria has officially begun forming an African block to reject Israel’s membership in the African Union.

As a quoted by WAFA, the online newspaper Rai Al-Youm reported that South Africa, Tunisia, Eritrea, Senegal, Tanzania, Niger, ‌ the archipelago of Qamar, Gabon, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Liberia, and the Seychelles have all agreed with the decision.

Previously the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement on July 22 that Adamsu Alali, Tel Aviv’s ambassador to Addis Ababa, had submitted his credentials as an observer member of the African Union.

Rai Al-Youm further wrote that Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra is expected to discuss the issue of Israel’s membership in the African Union in his upcoming trips to the four African countries of Tunisia, Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt.

Lamamra has stressed that these diplomatic moves are in fact a reaction to Tel Aviv’s membership in the African Union as an observer member and that this is a development that Israeli diplomats have been working on for years.

Lamamra noted that Israel had previously gained membership as an observer in the Organization of African Unity, but in 2002, the title was taken back from the regime as the African Union replaced the Organization of African Unity. (T/R6/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)