JOHANNESBURG: South Africa’s governing ANC party on Sunday welcomed the “encouraging” expulsion of a senior Israeli diplomat from the African Union (AU) summit in Addis Ababa. Sharon Bar-li, Israel’s foreign ministry deputy director general for Africa, was on Saturday escorted out of the AU assembly in the Ethiopian capital.

Israel accused arch-foe Iran of orchestrating the move with help from Algeria and South Africa. Vincent Magwenya, spokesman for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa present at the summit, demanded that Israel “substantiate their claim”.

In a statement on Sunday, the African National Congress (ANC), which compares Israel to an “apartheid state”, gave clear support for Bar-li’s ousting.