ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia
Leaders at an African Union summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Saturday condemned Israel’s offensive in Gaza and called for its immediate end.
Moussa Faki, the chair of the
African Union Commission, said Israel’s offensive was the “most flagrant”
violation of international humanitarian law and accused Israel of having
“exterminated” Gaza’s inhabitants.
Faki spoke alongside
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, who also addressed the summit.
“Rest assured we strongly
condemn these attacks that are unprecedented in the history of mankind,” Faki
said to applause from delegates. “We want to reassure you of our solidarity
with the people of Palestine.”
Azali Assoumani, president of
the Comoros and the outgoing chairperson of the African Union, praised the case
brought by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice
while condemning “the genocide Israel is committing in Palestine under our
nose.”
“The international community
cannot close its eyes to the atrocities that are committed, that have not only
created chaos in Palestine but also have disastrous consequences in the rest of
the world,” Assoumani said.
A quarter of Gaza’s residents
are starving because of the war, which began with Hamas’ assault into Israel on
Oct. 7, in which militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and
abducted around 250.
Israel strongly denies
committing genocide in Gaza and says it does all it can to spare civilians and
is only targeting Hamas militants. It says Hamas’ tactic of embedding in
civilian areas makes it difficult to avoid civilian casualties.
During last year’s AU summit,
an Israeli delegate was unceremoniously removed from the plenary hall amid a
row over the country’s observer status at the continental body.
Concern over conflicts and the
resurgence of coups across the African continent also underscored the opening
of this year’s summit. Faki cited tensions over Senegal’s postponed election
and violence in eastern Congo, Sudan, the Sahel, and Libya. He called for a
revival of “the spirit of African solidarity and Pan-Africanism” to overcome
the many challenges facing the continent of 1.3 billion people.
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