The African Union logo is seen outside the AU headquarters building in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, November 8, 2021. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri

Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan on Monday met with 25 counterparts from African countries in an effort to strengthen ties with the continent and to uphold the Jewish state’s status as an observer in the African Union amid growing opposition.

“Israel is constantly investing in and expanding our relationships with African countries,” said Erdan. “Israeli innovation has already led to the connection of thousands of African villages to water and electricity through many collaborations led by the Foreign Ministry.”

Among the 25 UN ambassadors attending Monday’s event were the Ambassador of Kenya, which currently serves as a member of the UN Security Council, and the Ambassador of Ghana, which was recently elected to the Security Council. The event was held together with Innovation: Africa, a non-profit organization bringing Israeli solar, water and agricultural technologies to rural African villages.

Sivan Ya’ari, founder and CEO of Innovation: Africa disclosed plans for a new renewable energy project to connect about 2,000 African villages to running water. In recent years, the organization has delivered access to clean water and electricity to almost 3 million people across 10 African countries.

Erdan detailed how through MASHAV – the country’s international development cooperation – Israelis and Africans work together on multiple projects to establish agricultural centers, build medical centers, empower farmers, and preserve the environment.

“Israel is constantly investing in expanding our relationships and creating new ties with Chad, Morocco, and Sudan and opening new embassies and trade offices,” Erdan added. “We are only at the beginning of our journey. The strategic alliance between Israel and Africa has the power to stimulate innovation that can change our environment.”

Back in July, Israel was accepted as an observer country at the 55-state African Union after almost twenty years outside the regional group. Since then, South Africa’s fiercely pro-Palestinian government has been among those members waging a diplomatic campaign to keep Israel out of the body. The Palestinian Authority has also urged the African Union to revoke Israel’s observer status.

“Unfortunately, there are those who still oppose the strengthening of our relationship and even seek to undo Israel’s new status as an observer state in the African Union,” Erdan lamented. “This discrimination against Israel, which has a land border with Africa, enjoys relations with 46 African countries and is engaged in development and extensive economic activity, is hypocritical, biased and impairs the progress of our region.”