Coalition of Pan-African organizations reject Israel’s AU observer status bid.
March 05, 2024
By Wallace Mawire
A Pan-African coalition of more than 150 organizations, social movements and community groups from 45 countries in Africa and the diaspora recently called on the African Union's member states to reject the application for Observer Status by Israel to the African Union at its recent summit in Addis Ababa held in Addis,Ababa,Ethiopia on 17 to 18 February, 2024.
According to Africans Rising (AR), a Pan-African movement of people and organisations, working for unity, justice, peace and dignity,the letter acts as a tool to pressure the government of Israel to amend its approach in Gaza in line with provisional measures outlined by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling.
AR says that the letter has already been sent out to all the member states in the African Union, including the AU Chairperson, Moussa Faki and the Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ambassador Bankole.
It is also reported that the request follows the International Court of Justice award for provisional measures on 26 January that found merit in South Africa’s case against Israel for contravening the Genocide Convention.
A statement recently released by the organizations says that as a coalition of civil society representing a broad base of African opinion, they are appalled at the live genocide happening before their very eyes.
They says that to permit Israel observer status to the African Union will be against its founding principles and unless it is prepared to cease all atrocities in Gaza, end the occupation of Palestine and East Jerusalem and take steps to facilitate the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state.
The letter demands the African Union to, “refuse the application for Observer Status by the
state of Israel that was brought before the Assembly in 2022” as they believe that such an
action would send a strong and unified signal to the State of Israel that their actions are
intolerable and that they must desist in continuing down that path.”
The letter cites Israel's use of chemical weapons against international law, deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure in Gaza, indiscriminate bombing of civilians including more than 12,000 children as basis for the call.
The organizations says that Israel's aggression and relentless onslaught on Palestinian people serves as a background to strengthen the opposition to its ascension to that status.
''We recall Israel’s earlier recognition as an observer to the block in July 2021, that provoked complaints from several AU member states. This prompted a suspension of the question of admission of Israel into the AU. However, it is necessary given the live events we are witnessing to put this matter to rest by outrightly rejecting this,'' the letter reads.
It adds that more than 28,000 people have already been killed of whom 12,000 are children.
The organizations say that Israel must end its illegal occupation of Palestine.
The coalition of civil society says it is deeply concerned that continued disregard for Palestinian rights and allowing Israel to pursue normalised relations with the AU, will send the signal to all that International Law does not prevail.
"We are wary that this disregard would spill into other conflicts in Africa, where impunity already runs rife. But as our letter concludes, “All oppression ends eventually. When the history of this moment is written, which side of it would the AU want to be counted in?
