African Union Unanimously Votes to Suspend Decision Granting Israel Observer Status

The African Union convening in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, unanimously adopted a decision on Sunday to suspend the decision granting Israel observer status, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

According to press reports, the summit of the African Union’s heads of state and governments suspended the AU’s former chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat’s decision on July 22 to grant Israel observer status in the AU.

Just in: Big win at the African Union.
The AU has suspended the decision to grant Apartheid Israel observer status.
Well done to all activists and governments involved. pic.twitter.com/C5ndNdUGFM
— #Africa4Palestine (@Africa4Pal) February 6, 2022

The summit also agreed to establish a committee comprised of the new chairman of the AU, Macky Sall of Senegal, along with six other heads of state including Algeria, South Africa, Congo, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Cameron, to present recommendations to the next summit meeting on whether to revoke Israel’s status as an observer or not.

Seven Arab and AU member states submitted in August a memorandum objecting to granting Israel an observer status, stressing that such a decision should be taken at a summit of the leaders of the member states and not by a unilateral decision by the commission’s chairman.

Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra has denounced African Union (AU) decision to grant Israel observer status as a “double mistake”, Anadolu Agency reported on Saturday.
Read more: https://t.co/kAGKad88I4 pic.twitter.com/HgDIv4qtm0
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) February 5, 2022

Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Comoros, and Djibouti have asked to include a discussion regarding granting Israel observer status on the agenda of the current summit.

The 35th African Union Summit opened its session on Saturday and was attended by Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, who made a strong appeal for withdrawing Israel’s observer status in the AU.

Featured image: African Union summit in Addis Ababa. (Photo: African Union and ForeignAffairsKenya)

(The Palestine Chronicle)