Israel regains its observer status at the African Union
In a press release, Foreign Minister Yaïr Lapid (here May 31, 2021), believes that this return to the African Union “corrects an anomaly” that has lasted for nearly two decades.
AP - DEBBIE HILL
Text by: RFI Follow
8 mins
The information was formalized by a statement from the African Union and Israeli diplomacy on Thursday, July 22.
The new Israeli ambassador, currently stationed in Addis Ababa, presented his credentials to the chairman of the African Union commission Moussa Faki Mahamat.
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A photo of the two diplomats posing with the green African Union flag marks the event. "
This corrects an anomaly that has lasted for nearly two decades,
" said a statement from Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. Israel thus regains its observer status, which it lost in 2002, when the Organization of African Unity was dissolved, which became the African Union. The Palestinian territories, for their part, always benefited from this position.
Israel is advancing deep into Afrika and it's a welcome development as they are now established observer status in AU.
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An important day for Israeli-African diplomacy, with the formal establishment of Israel's observer status with the African Union.
pic.twitter.com/MzGVEXTSmE
- Global Update (@oluchristty) July 23, 2021
"
This success is the result of permanent work by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, its Africa division and Israeli embassies on the continent,
" the same
press
release continued. "
Almost 12 years of Netanyahu have allowed almost all the countries of the African Union to resume relations with Israel,
" confirms Benjamin Augé, researcher at the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri), sub-Saharan Africa pole.
Author of the
report
“
Israel-Africa relations, what to take away from the Netanyahu decade?
", The researcher believes that for Israel, this position is important,"
to have a nourished and recurring discourse with these countries.
Knowing that Israel has very few embassies in Africa, they need this relay in Addis Ababa, to be able to speak to all 55 member countries.
According to him, this return will allow Israel to meet the senior officials, the various commissioners, and to have a voice, during the great summits of the heads of state.
Palestinian question
Among the missions officially advanced by Israeli diplomacy are the fight against the coronavirus and the prevention of the spread of terrorism on the continent.
On the official photo communicated by the African Union to mark this return, there are smiles.
However, the thorny issue of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was well addressed during the meeting between the Chairman of the AU Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat and the Israeli Ambassador to Ethiopia, Aleli Admasu, the statement said.
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Sudan will no longer boycott the State of Israel
The organization's position remains unchanged: “
A two-state solution is necessary for peaceful coexistence
”.
In May, Moussa Faki Mahamat notably strongly condemned the Israeli bombings in the Gaza Strip.
“
On all the major questions linked to Palestine at the UN,”
emphasizes Benjamin Augé, “
we can see very clearly that African countries hardly ever vote with Israel.
"
"
No real African policy
"
In addition, if relations have resumed during Netanyahu's last decade, the means of the state have considerably diminished, starting with those of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has limited the possibilities of developing these relations.
For the researcher, Israel, which readily communicates on its exchanges with the continent, does not in fact maintain really significant trade relations in terms of volume.
“
With regard to the continent in particular, so a dozen embassies, and only two recently opened - with Rwanda and Ghana - it is difficult to have a real African policy.
Knowing that in each of these embassies, you do not necessarily have an economic expansion post.
"
If the resumption of relations is a reality, the problem, according to him, is "to
translate these relations into real influence and real economic exchanges."
however, for the moment, the state apparatus has not allowed this because of the lack of means at its disposal.
"
Knowing that Israel has very few embassies in Africa, they need this relay in Addis Ababa, to be able to speak to all 55 member countries.
Benjamin Augé, researcher at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI), sub-Saharan Africa pole
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