Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has condemned the treatment of Ghanaian nationals detained and deported by Israeli authorities; he warned that Ghana will respond in equal measure to any future mistreatment. His comments follow a December 7 incident at Ben Gurion International Airport in which several Ghanaian travellers, including four members of a parliamentary delegation, were detained, with three later denied entry and deported.
Speaking in an interview on Thursday, December 11, Mr Ablakwa described the actions of Israeli officials as “inhumane” and “traumatic,” and insisted that Ghanaian travellers had been “deliberately targeted.” He stressed that Ghana would not tolerate such conduct, stating, “If they deport ten Ghanaians, we will deport ten. If they deport twenty, we will deport twenty. If they deport fifty, we will deport fifty. We are not going to accept this.”
Israel had claimed that Ghana’s embassy in Tel Aviv failed to cooperate in issuing travel certificates for six individuals scheduled for deportation, but Mr Ablakwa said investigations showed these claims were unfounded. He noted that one of the individuals listed was Gabonese, one was medically unfit to travel, and another had already been issued a travel certificate.
The government responded by deporting three Israeli nationals, signalling that Ghana will act firmly whenever its citizens are mistreated. Israel’s charge d’affaires in Accra has since apologised for the incident and called for calm as both countries work to de-escalate tensions.