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The Israeli Ambassador presents his credentials to Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairman of the African Union Commission, at the bloc’s headquarters in Addis Ababa.
After nearly 20 years of diplomatic efforts, Israel obtained observer status with the African Union (AU).
Officially, Israel’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, Burundi and Chad, Aleli Admasu, presented his credentials to Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairman of the African Union Commission, at the bloc’s headquarters in Addis Ababa on Thursday. , the Ethiopian capital.
“This is a day of celebration for Israeli-African relations,” Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said in a statement noting that Israel currently maintains relations with 46 African countries.
Israel previously held observer status with the Organization of African Unity (OAU), but was long thwarted in its attempts to regain it after the OAU was dissolved in 2002 and replaced by the AU.
“This corrects the anomaly that has existed for nearly two decades and is an important part of strengthening Israel’s fabric of foreign relations,” the foreign ministry statement said.
The formal establishment of Israel’s observer status with the AU will allow enhanced cooperation between the two parties on various aspects, including the fight against the coronavirus and the prevention of “the spread of extremist terrorism” on the African continent. , he added.
In a separate statement, Faki underscored the AU’s position on the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, reiterating the bloc’s position that a two-state solution was “necessary for peaceful coexistence.”
“[Faki] stressed that the path to lasting peace and stability requires that the peace process and the solutions sought are not only acceptable, but must guarantee the rights of all parties, ”the AU statement read.
In May, Faki condemned Israel when its forces shelled the besieged Gaza Strip for 11 days, as well as attacks by Israeli security forces on Al-Aqsa Mosque – Islam’s third holiest site in Jerusalem. -Is occupied – claiming that the IDF was acting “in flagrant violation of international law”.
Pro-Palestinian language is typically featured in statements made at annual AU summits.
Faki used last year’s summit to denounce then-US President Donald Trump’s plan for the Middle East, drawing applause from the AU main chamber when he said ‘he “flouted the rights of the Palestinian people.”
Palestine already has observer status with the AU, and Israeli diplomats have criticized recent AU statements on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Ebba Kalondo, spokesperson for Faki, said that there are currently more than 70 non-African embassies and non-governmental organizations accredited to the AU.
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