Rabat – Following the admittance of Israel as an observer in the African Union (AU) on Thursday, Algeria expressed it’s disapproval of the decision in a press release on Sunday. Israel has sought to become an official observer of the AU since 2002, as Palestine has already received an observer status.
In the statement, the Algerian Foreign Ministry stated, “Taken without the benefit of broad prior consultations with all the Member States, this decision has neither the vocation nor the capacity to legitimize the practices and behaviors of the said new observer which are totally incompatible with the values, principles and objectives enshrined in the ‘Constitutive Act of the African Union.”
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However, the Algerian government failed to name Israel in any of its condemning statements.
“The recent decision of the President of the Commission of the African Union (AU) to welcome a new observer who falls under his administrative prerogatives is not likely to alter the constant and active support of the continental organization to the just Palestinian cause,” added the statement.
Algeria concluded its statement of disapproval by noting that the current AU protocols “do not allow any possibility for the 87 extra-African observer states to influence the positions of the Continental Organization.”
The North African country has expressed its growing displeasure with Israel since the signing of the Abraham Accords in December 2020, which saw the US recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara after Morocco established diplomatic ties with Israel.
Algeria does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel, referring to it as a “Zionist entity.”
In its most recent symbolic move, Algerian olympic athlete, Fethi Nourine, forfeited a Judo match to Israeli athlete, Tohar Butbul. The move caused the International Judo Federation to remove Nourine’s accreditation from the federation.
Algeria considers itself as an advocate for the Palestinian cause and has used its Member State status in the AU as a mouthpiece for its position.
Israel’s new observer status in the African Union will not likely impact AU decision making as Israel already maintains steady relations with 46 African countries.
