The Summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) expressed its concern and objection to the unilateral decision taken by the African Union Commission to grant Israel observer status within the African Union. Algeria was one of the first countries to object, and it confirmed through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the decision was taken without prior extensive consultations with all member states, and that it does not have any capacity or ability to legitimize the practices and behaviors of the new observer, which completely contradict the values, principles and objectives stipulated in the Constitutive Act of the Union. The South African government also condemned this decision in a statement saying: “The African Union Commission has taken this decision unilaterally without consulting with its members,” considering that “the decision to grant Israel observer status is the most shocking decision that comes at a time when the people of Palestine are suffering from the devastating bombardment and the continuation of the illegal settlement of their lands.” For further details, click here