Israel issues retaliatory measures against Senegal for its vote at the UN

Israel has officially notified Senegal of its measures against the West African country for voting against its settlement activity in occupied Palestinian territory.

This was confirmed by the Senegalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement on Thursday acknowledging receipt of the diplomatic measures ordered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a few hours after the adoption of the resolution, AFP reports.

Among the measures revealed by the Ministry are Israel’s recall of its ambassador to Senegal, cancellation of a planned visit to Israel by Senegal’s foreign affairs minister, cancellation of the presentation of credentials by Senegal’s ambassador in Israel who resides in Cairo and cancellation of cooperation programmes with Senegal.

Senegal’s statement ended by explaining its support for “a just and equitable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which enshrines the existence of two states within secure and internationally recognized borders.”

According to an interview granted a local Senegalese newspaper and published on Wednesday, the spokesman of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Emmanuel Nahshon, defended his country’s decision saying it was a way of expressing their anger and disagreement.

“The measures taken are temporary and depend on the situation as it evolves. It can be reconsidered if Senegal also reconsiders its position,” AFP quoted Nahshon who added that Israel’s embassy in Senegal will continue to work without the ambassador.

14 members of the UN Security Council voted on December 23 to adopt a resolution that urged Israel to immediately stop any settlement activity in occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem which it deemed illegal.

Israel’s diplomatic measures also affected New Zealand, Malaysia and Venezuela.