The African Union (AU) Executive Council convened in Addis Ababa last Thursday and ended today. And if the haters are to be believed – like Me-Too’er Muhammed Desai‘s Africa 4 Palestine – it was a bleak day for Israel.
Except there’s one problem. How could they have decided to suspend a decision to grant us observer status, when we already had it? We rejoined* as an observer last July!
Naturally the haters are suffering from premature jubilation.
The African Union suspended a debate Sunday on whether to withdraw Israel’s accreditation, avoiding a vote that risked creating an unprecedented rift in the 55-member bloc.
“The Israel question has been suspended for now and instead there will be a committee set up to study the issue,” a diplomat told AFP on the closing day of the AU’s annual summit in Addis Ababa.
The committee will present its findings at next year’s AU summit.
In other words, Israel remains an observer for now, and the decision as to whether or not to withdraw this status will only occur in a year’s time.
As a Foreign Ministry source said
“Algeria and South Africa failed in its attempt to kick Israel out”
*Back in 2002 when the African Union (AU) was founded, Israel was an observer. We were ousted the following year following a campaign spearheaded by the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi/Gadhafi/Qaddafi/[insert alternate spelling]
