Africa-Press. Palestine welcomed on Sunday the outcomes of the African summit held in Addis Ababa, which reaffirmed the rejection of plans to displace Palestinians and support for Palestine obtaining full membership in the United Nations.
This was stated in a communiqué issued by the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs following the final statement of the 39th African summit, held on February 14–15 in the Ethiopian capital, with UN Secretary-General António Guterres in attendance, to discuss security and climate issues and efforts to halt internal conflicts in countries across the continent.
The Palestinian foreign ministry welcomed what it described as the summit’s clear and steadfast positions, saying they reflect Africa’s support for the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.
It also praised the summit’s call to end the Israeli occupation and not delay granting the State of Palestine full UN membership, describing this as an inherent political and legal right.
Rejection of displacement
In its final statement, the African summit affirmed its “categorical rejection” of any attempts to forcibly displace the Palestinian people to Egypt or Jordan, considering this a serious breach of international law.
The summit warned of the catastrophic deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip due to the Israeli blockade, and stressed its full solidarity with Palestinians’ struggle to gain freedom and establish an independent state on the 1967 borders.
It also called for granting Palestine full UN membership, emphasizing that this represents the Palestinian people’s legitimate right to self-determination and to ending the occupation.
Palestine currently holds “non-member observer state” status at the UN, following a General Assembly decision on November 29, 2012. In May 2024, the General Assembly also voted in favor of a resolution supporting Palestine’s bid for full membership.
