Israel’s ambassador to Angola says he is “disappointed” with the country for failing to condemn the Hamas attack

Israel’s Ambassador to Angola Shimon Solomon expressed this Thursday “deep disappointment” in Angola for not condemning the Hamas attack on the country, and added that friends know each other in difficult times.

The Jewish diplomat spoke to reporters at a news conference in Luanda, emphasizing Israel’s strong will to destroy the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement, as well as the solidarity expressed by Western, Asian and African countries, and regretted Angola’s failure to take a stand.

Angolan President João Lourenço, in his capacity as acting president of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), on Wednesday condemned acts of violence in the conflict between Israel and Hamas and appealed to the parties involved to ensure containment, but he did not do so as Angola’s head of state.

“We are good friends with Angola, we regret that this attack was not condemned,” criticized Shimon Solomon, stressing that other African countries such as Ghana, Kenya or the Democratic Republic of the Congo had already done so, “but in Angola, to Unfortunately, we haven’t seen that yet.”

“As friends, we expected Angola to condemn this attack. We see who are friends in difficult times,” he stressed, saying that the SADC statement was merely a condemnation of violence in general and diplomatic terms, without taking into account the position

Asked how it would affect relations between the two countries, which have been close, he said it would be necessary to “wait and see what happens” to know what the next steps would be.

“Of course, we are deeply disappointed,” he repeated, stressing that Angola’s reaction “came as a big surprise.”

The conflict was sparked by a surprise attack on Saturday by Hamas, which, in addition to killing people, took hostages of various nationalities, followed by new attacks and an Israeli response with a siege of the Palestinian enclave, which has already caused at least 1,300 people to die, according to official sources on both sides. in Israel and 1,354 in the Gaza Strip.

The ambassador also addressed the events of Saturday, October 7, a Jewish holiday, when Israel was subjected to a “terrorist attack by Hamas,” an organization he compared to the Islamic State, with which Israel shares “the same ideology.”

An ideology that is “neither for Palestine, nor for the territories, nor for human rights” and which is directed against Jews, Christians and all non-Muslims, he stressed.

“It was not a battle between soldiers and soldiers, they killed women and children, they behaved like animals,” he complained, stressing that the government’s solution was to “completely destroy Hamas.”

In response to the attack, Israel has bombed several Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip over the past six days in Operation Iron Swords and imposed a complete blockade, cutting off supplies of water, fuel and electricity.

Shimon Solomon recalled that the attack killed more than 1,200 people, both Israelis and foreigners, and said the Israelis value human rights and have previously been reluctant to use force against Palestinians, who are being used as a shield by Hamas militants who have infiltrated the population.

“Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people,” the diplomat stressed, presenting Israel as the “liberator” of the Palestinians, who are also victims of 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.

Israel’s ambassador said countries must support each other to overcome terror and that Israel is developing “very radical actions” because it is at war.

“Who attacked whom? It was Hamas that attacked Israel, and it was not against the army, but against innocent people (…) we ask that they condemn this attack,” he urged, adding: “It is Israel that suffered.”

Regarding the situation of civilians in the Gaza Strip, he noted that Israel is targeting Hamas targets, not mosques or hospitals, but acknowledged there could be “mistakes” because, he said, Islamist militants are mixed in with the population.

He also assured that Israel is trying to warn innocent people to “leave their homes” through leaflets and messages, but stressed that “it will be a long and intense war in the Gaza Strip.”

When asked about humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in this territory, he replied that “there is a war now” and “only God knows” what will happen next.

As for those who defend the Palestinian cause and oppose Israel, he considered them “anti-Semites.”

Diplomatic relations between the State of Israel and the Republic of Angola began in the 1970s, were interrupted after the war in October 1973, and resumed in 1993 with the signing of the Oslo Accords.

In 1995, an Israeli embassy opened in Luanda, and in 2000, Angola opened an embassy in Tel Aviv.

In 2006, then-Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos made his first official visit to Israel, during which opportunities for expanding mutual trade between the two countries were discussed.

Most recently, in February this year, Angola sent a high-level delegation led by the Minister of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Maria do Rosario Bragança to Israel to explore new opportunities for cooperation.

Currently, cooperation is mainly focused on activities in the fields of agriculture, health, education, aviation, civil engineering, fisheries, diamonds, security and telecommunications.

Angola has also received millions of euros in Israeli funding aimed at infrastructure projects through the Mitrelli group, which is part of the Menomaddin conglomerate headed by Haim Taib.

The MitrelIi Group is present in six countries, including Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and Israel, with its main activities in the Angolan market, where the portfolio of companies includes, among others, Kora (real estate), Owin (electricity, gas, water), “Promed” (health care), “New Cognito” (information technology), “Focus of Education” (education), etc.