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The Ghanaian government has announced that it is considering “appropriate reciprocal action” against Israel following the detention and deportation of seven Ghanaian nationals, four of them are sitting members of Parliament, at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport on Sunday.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa disclosed the incident in a statement posted on his official X account on Wednesday.
Ablakwa said the Ghanaian travellers were “deliberately targeted and subjected to inhumane and traumatic treatment” by the Israeli authorities.
According to Ablakwa, the seven Ghanaians were detained “without justifiable cause” upon their arrival in Tel Aviv. Among them were four lawmakers attending the ongoing Annual International Cybersecurity Conference.
He said the four members of a parliamentary delegation were released after “more than five hours of strenuous diplomatic intervention,” while the remaining three travellers were “deported on the next available flight and have since arrived in Ghana.”
“The Government of Ghana considers the actions of the Israeli authorities as unfairly targeting Ghanaian travelers and accordingly conveys its strong reservations against the humiliating treatment of its citizens,” Ablakwa added.
He stated that Ghana and Israel have maintained friendly ties for more than six decades, with “considerable high volumes of unimpeded travel by citizens of both nations.”
He described the conduct by Israeli authorities as “extremely provocative, unacceptable, and inconsistent with our friendly historical relations.”
He added that Israel’s explanation, that the deportations were linked to alleged non-cooperation by Ghana’s Embassy in Tel Aviv, was “totally untenable,” insisting the mission has been “responsive and compliant with international law.”
Ablakwa said officials of the Israeli Embassy in Accra would be summoned to receive Ghana’s formal protest. He also noted that the government is considering “appropriate reciprocal action” in response to the incident.
