Johannesburg – The African National Congress (ANC) on Saturday said it was “encouraged” by the African Union’s (AU) ousting of Israeli representatives from the ongoing summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The ANC, which is opposed to the AU granting Israel “observer status”, said attempts to attend the summit were undermining the organisation.
The AU was still considering a report that is supposed to guide discussions on whether Israel must be granted observer status or not.
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The ANC said its “views on apartheid Israel remain relevant to this day. Independent reports of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch firmly define the character of Israel as that of an apartheid state”.
In a terse communique, the ANC added: “Instead of awaiting outcomes of deliberations on their possible observer status, Israel simply chose to undermine the AU’s 55 African member states.
“Only a two-state solution, based on agreed international parameters, can bring an end to the hardships suffered by Palestinians at the hands of Israeli forces.
“The people of Palestine that includes women and children are subjected to the most horrendous deeds day in and day out.”
The ANC called on the Israeli government to stop the expropriation of ancestral Palestinian lands.
“Israel is reportedly escalating this expropriation and essentially transgressing international law,” said the communique.
“This provocation is done instead of directing efforts and energies towards creating conditions for meaningful talks between apartheid Israel and Palestine.
“All peace-loving nations rooting for a world premised on a better life for all should be consistent in their calls for apartheid Israel to be respectful of human life as well as past agreements on how to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.”
Commenting on the matter, Israel foreign ministry spokesperson Lior Hayat said: “Israel views seriously the incident in which the deputy for Africa, Ambassador Sharon Bar-Li was removed from the African Union hall despite her status as an accredited observer with access badges.
“It is sad to see that the Africa Union has been taken hostage by a small number of extremist countries such as Algeria and South Africa, driven by hatred and controlled by Iran.
“We call on the African countries to stand against these actions that harm the organisation and the African Union itself and the entire continent.”
However, the ANC said Africa’s colonial history and “apartheid Israel’s present oppressive nature towards Palestine demands that all pressures be applied for the sake of all Palestinian people, including women, children and families”.
