Former Member of Parliament Ras Mubarak has called on the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to summon Israel’s Ambassador to Ghana, Roey Gilad, over comments he says disrespect President John Mahama and undermine Ghana’s sovereignty.
In a statement, Mr Mubarak accused the Israeli diplomat of overstepping diplomatic boundaries by publicly questioning the President’s position on the conflicts in Palestine and Ukraine.
He argued that Ghana had the sovereign right to determine its foreign policy and that its position on Palestine was consistent with its longstanding support for a two-state solution.
Mr Mubarak said Ghana’s foreign policy was guided by the 1992 Constitution and the country’s historic non-aligned tradition, rather than the dictates of any foreign government.
He also defended President Mahama’s description of Israel’s actions in Palestine as genocide, citing the President’s address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The former MP accused Mr Gilad of previously describing President Mahama as wrong on the issue of genocide and holding a press conference in Accra to defend Israel’s military actions.
He further accused the ambassador of using Ghana’s position on the Russia-Ukraine war to deflect attention from allegations of genocide, war crimes, settler violence and the humanitarian crisis affecting Palestinians.
Mr Mubarak, however, maintained that Ghana’s position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict was a matter of public record, noting that the country had voted at the United Nations to condemn Russia’s invasion and had consistently called for respect for international law and national sovereignty.
He said the ambassador’s comments reflected what he described as a growing pattern of disrespect towards Ghana and its President.
Mr Mubarak called on Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to immediately summon the Israeli ambassador and formally caution him over his public comments.
He cited the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, arguing that although ambassadors could explain their countries’ positions, they should not publicly chastise or second-guess the heads of state of their host countries through the media.
“An Ambassador is a guest. He may explain his country’s position. He must not publicly chastise, fact-check, or second-guess the Head of State of his host country in the media,” he said.
Mr Mubarak insisted that Ghana must be allowed to express its position on Palestine without being drawn into comparisons with the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
He described the ambassador’s comments as insulting to President Mahama and the Ghanaian people, and called for greater respect for the country’s sovereignty and diplomatic institutions.
