oh Speaking to journalists at a press conference in Luanda, the Hebrew ambassador highlighted Israel’s determination to destroy the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and the solidarity of Western, Asian and African countries in regretting Angola’s failure to take a stand.
Angolan President Jono Lorenzo, acting chairman of the Southern African Development Community (SADC, for short in English), on Wednesday condemned acts of violence in the conflict between Israel and Hamas and appealed to the parties involved. to ensure control, but he did not do so as president of Angola.
“We are good friends with Angola and we regret that there is no condemnation for this attack”, criticized Shimon Solomon, adding that other African countries such as Ghana, Kenya or the Democratic Republic of Congo have already done so, “but in Angola, unfortunately, we have not seen it yet.”
“Because we are friends, our expectation is that Angola will condemn the attack. We see who friends are in difficult times,” he stressed, adding that the SADC statement did not condemn the violence in general and on diplomatic grounds. A position
Asked how this would affect the relationship between the two countries, which have been close, he said, “We have to wait and see what happens” to know what the future course of action will be.
“Of course we are deeply disappointed”, he reiterated, highlighting that Angola’s reaction was “a big surprise”.
On Saturday, the conflict was triggered by a surprise attack by the group Hamas, which took hostages of different nationalities in addition to the deaths, followed by new attacks and an Israeli blockade of Palestinian land. According to official sources on both sides, there have been at least 1,300 deaths in Israel and 1,354 in the Gaza Strip.
The ambassador addressed events on Saturday, October 7, a Jewish holiday, in which Israel suffered a “terrorist attack by Hamas”, comparing it to Islamic State, which shares “the same ideology”.
An ideology “not for Palestine, the territories, or human rights” and against Jews, Christians and all non-Muslims, he insisted.
“This is not a soldier-to-soldier fight, they massacred women and children, they behaved like animals,” he lamented, insisting that the government’s decision was to “totally destroy Hamas.”
In response to the attack, Israel has bombed several Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip over the past six days, imposing a total blockade and cutting off water, fuel and electricity supplies in an operation known as “Iron Swords.”
Shimon Solomon recalled that more than 1,200 Israelis and foreigners were killed in the attack. population.
“Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people,” insisted the diplomat, who is promoting Israel’s “liberation” of Palestinians victimized by Hamas.
Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007 and is classified as a “terrorist group” by the European Union (EU), the United States and Israel.
The Israeli ambassador argued that countries should support each other as a way to combat terrorism and that Israel is taking “more serious actions” as it engages in war.
“Who attacked who? It was Hamas that attacked Israel, it was not against the army, it was against innocent people (…) All we ask is that they condemn the attack”, and he stressed: “Israel did it. It suffered”.
Regarding the civilian situation in the Gaza Strip, he pointed out that Israel was targeting Hamas targets, not mosques or hospitals, but admitted there could be “errors” because Islamist militants are mixed into the population.
He also promised that Israel would try to warn innocent people to “leave their homes” through leaflets and messages, but insisted that “it will be a long and serious war in Gaza”.
Asked about humanitarian aid for civilians in the area, he said, “Now it’s war” and “only God knows.”
As for those who defend the Palestinian cause and speak out against Israel, he considers them “anti-Semitic”.
Diplomatic relations between Israel and the Republic of Angola have existed since the 1970s, interrupted after the October 1973 War, and renewed after the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993.
In 1995, an Israeli embassy was opened in Luanda, and in 2000, Angola opened an embassy in Tel Aviv.
In 2006, the then president of Angola, José Eduardo dos Santos, made his first official visit to Israel, during which the possibility of expanding mutual trade between the two countries was discussed.
Most recently, in February of this year, Angola sent a high-level delegation to Israel led by the Minister of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, María do Rosario Bragança.
At present, cooperation mainly focuses on the sectors of agriculture, health, education, aviation, civil construction, fisheries, diamonds, defense and telecommunications.
Angola has received millions of euros in Israeli funding for infrastructure projects through the Midrelli Group, part of Haim Taib’s Menomadin Group.
The MitrelIi Group is present in six countries, including Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and Israel, with its main activity in the Angolan market, where its portfolio of companies includes Cora (real estate), Owin (electricity, gas, water), Promed (health), New Knowledge (information). technologies), focus on education (education) etc.
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