Pro-Palestinian protests force Israeli ambassador to leave Senegal university
Yuval Waks was forced to leave a university campus in Dakar yesterday after students protested against his presence and chanted pro-Palestinian slogans, according to footage circulating on social media.
Waks had been invited to speak at a conference on international relations practices at Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD), the country’s largest and most prominent higher education institution.
But as he arrived, dozens of students gathered outside the hall, chanting “Free Palestine,” “Free Gaza”, and “Israel is a war criminal”.
Videos shared online show students waving Palestinian flags and booing the newly appointed envoy, preventing him from delivering his speech.
Ties with Israel hinge on recognition of Palestinian state
Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, is willing to recognise and open diplomatic relations with Israel if an independent Palestinian state is recognised by Tel Aviv, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has said.
Standing alongside visiting French President Emmanuel Macron, Prabowo said Israel’s security needs needed to be guaranteed, and that France would also continue to support steps towards independence for a Palestinian state.
Indonesia does not recognise or share any diplomatic relations with Israel.
France wants Palestinian two-state solution, Macron says
The French president has reiterated his wish to see a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, claiming there are no double standards in French policy towards the Middle East.
Macron is leaning towards recognising a Palestinian state, diplomats and experts say, according to the Reuters news agency, a move that could infuriate Israel and deepen Western splits.
“Only a political solution will make it possible to restore peace and build for the long term,” Macron said, speaking from Indonesia.
“Together with Saudi Arabia, we will soon be organising a conference on Gaza in New York to give fresh impetus to the recognition of a Palestinian state and the recognition of the State of Israel and its right to live in peace and security in this region.”
