ADDIS ABABA
\nA senior Israeli diplomat on Saturday was removed from the African Union\u2019s annual summit in Ethiopia, as a dispute over Israel\u2019s accreditation to the bloc escalated.
\nImages posted online showed AU security personnel confronting the diplomat during the opening ceremony of the summit, before she left the auditorium.
\n\u201cIsrael looks harshly upon the incident in which the deputy director for Africa, Ambassador Sharon Bar-Li, was removed from the African Union hall despite her status as an accredited observer with entrance badges,\u201d the foreign ministry said.
\nEbba Kalondo, the spokesperson for the African Union\u2019s commission chairman, said the diplomat had been removed because she was not the duly accredited Israeli ambassador to Ethiopia, the official who was expected.
\nBut Israel blamed the incident on South Africa and Algeria, two key nations in the 55-country bloc, saying they were holding the AU hostage and were driven by \u201chate\u201d.
\nIsrael\u2019s Foreign Ministry said the charge d\u2019affaires at South Africa\u2019s embassy would be summoned for a reprimand.
\n\u201cThe attempt to cancel Israel\u2019s observer status has no basis in the organization\u2019s laws,\u201d the ministry said.
\nSouth Africa rejected the claim, saying Israel\u2019s application for observer status at the AU has not been decided upon by the bloc. \u201cUntil the AU takes a decision on whether to grant Israel observer status, you cannot have the country sitting and observing,\u201d Clayson Monyela, head of public diplomacy in South Africa\u2019s department of international relations, told Reuters. \u201cSo, it\u2019s not about South Africa or Algeria, it\u2019s an issue of principle.\u201d
\nSouth Africa\u2019s ruling party has historically been a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause.
\nThe Algerian delegation at the summit was not immediately available for a comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ADDIS ABABA A senior Israeli diplomat on Saturday was removed from the African Union\u2019s annual summit in Ethiopia, as a dispute over Israel\u2019s accreditation to the bloc escalated. Images posted online showed AU security personnel confronting the diplomat during the opening ceremony of the summit, before she left the auditorium. \u201cIsrael looks harshly upon the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":314805,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-314774","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n