Ill-Treatment At Ben Gurion Airport

 

The ill-treatment of Ghanaian travellers at the Ben Gurion International Airport, Tel Aviv, Israel, as reported by the Foreign Affairs Ministry refers.

The diplomatic anomaly could be a pointer to a policy shift by the Israeli authorities to be ungenerous to our compatriots who travel to Israel.

Knowing the penchant of Israel for breaching international law when it comes to diplomacy, we do not expect anything better from them.

With the PR onslaught by the Israeli mission not yielding much in terms of changing the attitude of most Ghanaians and most parts of the world against the genocide, the only option left for them is to begin ill-treating our compatriots.

We recall the recent complaint by the Israeli envoy to Ghana, Roey Gilad, over the alleged poor treatment meted to officials of their mission at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and tempted to think that the ill-treatment is a reciprocal reaction.

Be it as it may, we do not know the outcome of the engagement between the Foreign Affairs Ministry and officials of the Israeli Embassy following the summons from the former to the latter?

We do hope however that the Ministry expressed government’s opprobrium to the inhumane treatment meted out to our citizens and the subsequent deportation of three persons back to Ghana.

We have learnt that Ghana walked its talk of carrying out a reciprocal action by deporting three Israelis to Tel Aviv.

We do not know the premises upon which the decision to deport the persons were, but can vouch that it was prompted by the earlier deportation of Ghanaians from Israel.

Unfortunately, such ill-treatment cannot alter the stand of government and the good people of Ghana against the genocide and the inhumane treatment of the people of Palestine and the usurpation of their lands by settlers with the connivance of the Israeli Defence Force.

We have also taken note of the dismissal of the Israeli authorities’ excuses about what happened by the Foreign Affairs Ministry, which fortifies our conclusion.

We still condemn the inhumanity being exhibited in Palestine and call for a global action against it. Only a two-state solution with Israel and Palestine living side by side will bring cessation to the spate of insecurity being perpetuated by Israel.

As pointed out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ghana and Israel have enjoyed decades of cordial diplomatic relationship to the mutual benefits of both nations.

Our opposing stance to the genocidal policy of Israel on Palestine is a matter of principle about which there is no turning back. That notwithstanding, the two countries should abide by the tenets of diplomacy and not allow such meanness Israel is exhibiting mar our age-long relationship at this stage.

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