The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Okudzeto Ablakwa, has confirmed that Ghana’s deportation of three Israeli nationals on Wednesday was a direct retaliatory measure following the unfair treatment and deportation of Ghanaians from Israel.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Thursday, December 11, Mr Ablakwa said, “I can confirm to you that the action the government of Ghana was compelled to take yesterday is directly in retaliation to the ill treatment, unjustified, unwarranted and what we consider unlawful deportation of our fellow compatriots.”
On Wednesday, December 10, the government of Ghana deported three Israeli nationals in direct response to what it described as “ill-treatment and unjustified deportation” of Ghanaian citizens by Israeli authorities, a move meant to safeguard the dignity of Ghanaians abroad.
According to a press statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the decision followed reports that three Ghanaian nationals were deported from Israel under “unacceptable” circumstances. In response, Accra moved swiftly to expel three Israelis who had recently arrived in Ghana.
The development comes amid heightened diplomatic tensions between Ghana and Israel, with both countries taking reciprocal measures affecting each other’s citizens.
Mr. Ablakwa added, “We summoned the chargé d’affaires of the Embassy of Israel in Ghana and strongly protested that treatment. The chargé d’affaires confirmed that, indeed, all the persons who suffered this are humanising and traumatic treatment from the Israeli authorities.”
Ghana’s action follows the deportation of seven Ghanaians, including four members of an official delegation attending a cybersecurity conference in Tel Aviv, who were allegedly detained without explanation. While four were released after five hours, three others were deported, prompting Ghana to condemn their “humiliating treatment.”
