ADDIS ABABA: Israel’s ambassador to Ethiopia was ejected from an African Union event this week and has described it as outrageous.
An Israeli official on Wednesday told The Associated Press the ejection from the annual event commemorating the 1994 Rwanda genocide was at the request of AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Youssouf. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to a journalist.
“The new African Union Commission chairperson chose to introduce anti-Israel political elements,” the ambassador, Avraham Nigusse, asserted Tuesday on social media. It “reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of the histories of both the Rwandan and Jewish peoples,” he added, saying he had been invited by Rwanda.
The spokesperson for Youssouf, a former foreign minister of Djibouti, did not respond to requests for comment. Youssouf started his four-year AU term in February.
A diplomat at the AU on Wednesday said Israel’s ambassador was removed because they no longer had observer status at the continental body based in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to journalists.
Israel regained observer status at the AU in 2021, two decades after it was revoked over its conflict with the Palestinians, as Jerusalem sought wider ties with African nations. However, the observer status was suspended again in 2023 pending review by a committee of African heads of state.
They have yet to deliver a verdict. In 2023, a senior Israeli diplomat was evicted from the AU’s annual summit for not having proper accreditation.
The pan-African body has strong ties to the Palestinians, often inviting their leaders to address major gatherings.
Israel last month shattered a ceasefire and renewed its military offensive in Gaza. The territory’s Health Ministry says more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war with Hamas started with the militant group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
South Africa, a prominent AU member, has brought a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, accusing it of genocide during its military operations in Gaza. Israel has denied the allegations and called them outrageous.
Israel’s ambassador is ejected from African Union event
https://arab.news/ny6mx
Israel’s ambassador is ejected from African Union event
- The pan-African body has strong ties to the Palestinians, often inviting their leaders to address major gatherings
- South Africa has brought a case against Israel at the ICJ, accusing it of genocide during its military operations in Gaza
Swiss interior minister open to social media ban for children
- Detailed discussions will begin in the new year, supported by a report on the issue
ZURICH: Switzerland must do more to shield children from social media risks, Interior Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider was quoted as saying on Sunday, signalling she was open to a potential ban on the platforms for youngsters.
Following Australia’s recent ban on social media for under-16s, Baume-Schneider told SonntagsBlick newspaper that Switzerland should examine similar measures.
“The debate in Australia and the EU is important. It must also be conducted in Switzerland. I am open to a social media ban,” said the minister, a member of the center-left Social Democrats. “We must better protect our children.”
She said authorities needed to look at what should be restricted, listing options such as banning social media use by children, curbing harmful content, and addressing algorithms that prey on young people’s vulnerabilities.
Detailed discussions will begin in the new year, supported by a report on the issue, Baume-Schneider said, adding: “We mustn’t forget social media platforms themselves: they must take responsibility for what children and young people consume.”
Australia’s ban has won praise from many parents and groups advocating for the welfare of children, and drawn criticism from major technology companies and defenders of free speech.
Earlier this month, the parliament of the Swiss canton of Fribourg voted to prohibit children from using mobile phones at school until they are about 15, the latest step taken at a local level in Switzerland to curb their use in schools.
