Algeria won a diplomatic victory at the 36th African Union (AU) summit by having the Israeli delegation excluded from the work currently taking place in Addis Ababa. This decision was taken after the Israeli ambassador tried to force his way into the summit after his invitation was rescinded.
Tensions between Israel and some African countries, particularly Algeria and South Africa, have risen in recent months as Israel seeks to infiltrate African institutions and become an observer member of the AU.
In August 2021, Algeria and other Arab countries took an initiative to block Israel’s admission as an observer member of the AU. Although this decision was suspended, Israel sent a delegation to participate in the summit in Ethiopia.
Algeria was the main instigator of the exclusion of the Israeli delegation and this decision is considered another diplomatic victory for the country, which seeks to avoid a “break” within the AU due to the Israeli presence .
The chairperson of the African Commission, Chadian Moussa Faki, agreed to submit the question of Israel’s admission to the AU to the summit of heads of state in February 2022. A committee of seven heads of state , including the Algerian and South African presidents, was set up to issue recommendations on this issue.
The exclusion of the Israeli delegation from the AU summit is a snub for Israel in its attempts to infiltrate African institutions and strengthens Algeria’s position on this issue. It remains to be seen what the final decision on Israel’s admission to the AU will be.
Israel excluded from AU summit: tensions with Algeria
Israel once again faces exclusion from the African Union. The Israeli delegation led by Sharon Bar-Lee, deputy director for Africa at Israel’s foreign ministry, was asked to leave the room ahead of the opening ceremony of the 36th AU summit in Addis Ababa. This exclusion comes after Algeria initiated an action to prevent the admission of Israel as an observer member of the African Union.
The Israeli authorities reacted by accusing Algeria and South Africa of having pressured to exclude their delegation. According to the Walla website, Israel takes the incident “very seriously” and is putting pressure on the African Union to reinstate its delegation.
The suspension of Israel’s admission as an observer member was a blow to Israeli diplomacy, which seeks to extend its influence on the African continent. Observer member status was granted to Israel by Moussa Faki in July 2021 before being suspended.
This exclusion comes in a tense context between Israel and Algeria, which seeks to avoid the “break” within the African Union due to the Israeli presence. African heads of state decided to suspend Israel’s admission and set up a committee of seven heads of state to make recommendations regarding this issue. Among the members of this committee are the Algerian presidents Abdelmadjid Tebboune and South African Cyril Ramaphosa.
The exclusion of the Israeli delegation to the AU summit shows the complexity of the question of Israel’s admission as an observer member of the African Union. The tensions between Israel and certain African countries, notably Algeria, show that the question is far from being resolved.
