Ahmad 
The French newspaper “Le Monde” reported that the African Union withdrew the observer member status that Israel had within the organization, thus permanently banning Tel Aviv from the institution after a decade of diplomatic efforts and two years of adopting that status.
The newspaper pointed out in a report that the expulsion of the Israeli delegation informally from the General Assembly of the African Union as the presidents’ discussions began in February last year left an impact on the relationship between Tel Aviv and the continent, thanks to the efforts of South Africa and Algeria.
According to a senior AU official, a year after this diplomatic incident, the war on the Gaza Strip put an end to this debate, and the file related to Israel’s accreditation remained closed.
The organization suspended Tel Aviv’s observer status, and a spokesman for African Union Commission Chairperson Eba Kalondo said: “Israel is not invited to attend the summit.”
The African Union condemned Israel’s attack on Gaza, with the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki, calling it the “most flagrant” violation of international humanitarian law and accusing Israel of wanting to exterminate the people of Gaza.
The judges of the International Court of Justice ruled in favor of Pretoria, which in December filed a motion accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, and International Crisis Group researcher Liesel Le Vaudran said that “this is one of the greatest achievements in African diplomacy.”
South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor expressed concern “about the presence of Israeli representatives at the AU headquarters in recent days,” after the Israeli ambassador to Ethiopia was seen inside the AU building.
Despite Israel’s formal ban from the African Union, the division over it has not been completely resolved, according to the newspaper, citing the vote of 7 African countries against the resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian truce in Gaza, at the United Nations, on October 27.