Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has strongly criticized Israel’s recent treatment of Ghanaian citizens, following an incident at Ben Gurion International Airport on December 7.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Thursday, Mr. Ablakwa outlined the government’s response to the detention and subsequent deportation of several Ghanaian travelers, among them four members of a parliamentary delegation headed to Tel Aviv for an international cybersecurity conference.
The episode, which has sparked widespread concern, saw the delegation held by Israeli authorities, with three of its members ultimately denied entry and placed on the next flight out.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the actions as “inhumane” and “traumatic,” stressing that Ghanaian nationals appeared to have been “deliberately targeted.”
Mr. Ablakwa vowed that Ghana would not tolerate such treatment and would respond in kind.
“If they deport ten Ghanaians, we will deport ten. If they deport twenty, we will deport twenty. If they deport fifty, we will deport fifty. We are not going to accept this,” he declared.
Israel’s justification for the deportations, according to Mr. Ablakwa, was that Ghana’s embassy in Tel Aviv had failed to cooperate in issuing travel certificates for six individuals slated for removal. However, he revealed that upon closer examination, the claims proved baseless.
“We were told that the Ghanaian Embassy was uncooperative, but the facts simply do not support that. Out of the six people on the list that Israel provided, one is not even Ghanaian. He is Gabonese. Our embassy had every right to verify the identity of the individuals involved,” Mr. Ablakwa explained.
He further noted that one of the listed individuals was seriously ill, with Israeli doctors themselves advising against travel until recovery. Another had already been issued a travel certificate, making Israel’s decision unjustifiable.
The Ghanaian government has insisted that while its response will be firm, it will also remain measured. In a reciprocal move, Ghana deported three Israeli nationals, signaling that violations of Ghanaian citizens’ rights would not go unanswered.
The Israeli government has since apologized, with the charge d’affaires in Accra admitting mishandling of the matter and calling for calm.
SOURCE:Myjoyonline
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