Pandor’s Shock At Israel’s AU Inclusion

For almost two decades after the disbandment and replacement of the Organization of African Unity by the African Union, Israel's attempts to join the continental body proved futile.

But in 2021, the chairman of the African Union Moussa Faki Mahamat unilaterally announced that the AU had granted observer status to Israel - despite several countries (Algeria, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa) opposing its accreditation.

Watch South Africa's Foreign Minister - speaking at the ongoing 3rd International Dilemmas of Humanity Conference in Johannesburg - relate the tense moment when she learnt of the plan to include Israel into the AU.

Divisions in the Union over the Middle Eastern country's attempts to gain support and influence on our continent have deepened amid Tel Aviv’s indiscriminate war against Hamas. Naledi Pandor also urged African trade unions to speak out against Israel’s bombing of Gaza and the mounting civilian death toll.