Annisa Essack | kzn@radioislam.org.za
20 February 2023 | 22:00
2 min read

Photo Credit: WordCraftByAnnisa

Israeli Ambassador removed from AU Summit

On Saturday, a senior Israeli diplomat was removed from the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, over Israel’s accreditation of the bloc. The spokesperson of the African Union Commission Chairperson, Ebba Katondo, said that the diplomat was removed as she was not the duly accredited Israeli Ambassador, the official who was expected to attend.

Israel looked harshly upon the incident, saying that Ambassador Sharon Bar-Li, the deputy director for Africa, was removed despite her status as an accredited observer with entrance badges.

The Israeli Foreign Minister blamed the incident squarely on two key nations in the 55-country bloc, South Africa and Algeria, saying they were driven by hate and held the AU hostage.

He said that the Charge d’ Affaires at the South African embassy would be summoned for a reprimand.

The claim was rejected by South Africa, saying that Israel’s observer status had not been settled and that “until the AU decides on whether to grant Israel observer status, you cannot have the country sitting and observing.”

The African National Congress also welcomed the ousting of the Israeli delegate. It said that Israel’s attending the summit was an “attempt to undermine the current sitting AU summit from considering a report that is supposed to guide discussions on whether Israel must be granted an observer status.”

ANC also clarified that it opposed the “AU granting apartheid Israel any observer status.”

Warnings of major escalations at Al Quds

Israeli Intelligence Services have warned that an escalation in the occupied Al Quds and the West Bank is on the cards and blamed this on the newly elected Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir. He embarked on an unprecedented crackdown on Palestinians.

In the past week, he demolished Palestinian buildings, confiscating assets of current and former Palestinian prisoners, and dozens of new roadblocks and checkpoints have been installed. The number of police officers in Jerusalem has increased. He has also imposed harsh conditions against Palestinian prisoners, including closing canteens, removing stoves to heat food and kettles, and cutting off their hot water supply.

Ml Moosa says these deliberate and punitive measures against Palestinians have responded by declaring a general strike and civil disobedience to protest the crackdown. The protest included a stay away from Israeli workplaces and the non-payment of taxes to Israeli-run municipalities and other state agencies.

Media exposes Israeli-based global disinformation unit – “Team Jorge”

An international consortium of reporters’ investigation has exposed an Israel-based global disinformation unit called ‘Team Jorge’ that has allegedly meddled in the elections of various countries.

Team Jorge, headed by an Israeli special forces operative, is linked with software to operate fake social media campaigns across countries and is said to have interfered with more than 30 elections worldwide.

Headed by a former Israeli special forces operative, 50-year-old Tal Hanan, the group goes by the codename ‘Team Jorge,’ after Hanan’s pseudonym. Three reporters, posing as consultants representing a “politically unstable African country that wanted help delaying an election,” secretly recorded six hours of meetings with Hanan between July and December 2022.

The workings of the elaborate undercover operation that shed light on disinformation operatives working in the shadows leaked to The Guardian.

Listen to the full interview with Ml Ebrahim Moosa of PIN and Ml Sulaimaan Ravat on Sabahul Muslim