Israeli delegation expelled from African Union conference hall

The Deputy Director for Africa at the Foreign Ministry, Sharon Barley, and the other members of the Israeli delegation were expelled from the African Union conference hall in Addis Ababa, where Israel was participating as an observer, on Saturday morning.

This is an unusual event in international conventions and is considered to be a serious diplomatic incident.

The incident occurred during the opening ceremony when the security personnel of the conference approached the members of the Israeli delegation and asked them to leave the hall. A senior official at the Foreign Ministry said that the delegation members learned that South Africa and Algeria were behind the move.

Foreign Minister spokesperson Lior Hair responded to the incident, saying: "Israel takes the incident in which the Deputy Director for Africa, Ambassador Sharon Bar Lee, was removed from the African Union Hall despite her status as an accredited observer with access badges very seriously.

"It is sad to see that the African 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 African countries to stand against these actions that harm the organization of the African Union itself and the entire continent." [The Jerusalem Post]