Ghana protests ‘inhumane’ treatment of travelers to Israel

Ghana condemned on Wednesday what it called the "inhumane" treatment of its citizens at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport after several travelers were detained or deported, and said it is weighing reciprocal measures.

Ghanaian travelers were "deliberately targeted and subjected to inhumane and traumatic treatment" since Sunday, a Foreign Ministry statement said, noting that seven citizens, including four members of a parliamentary delegation, were detained without "justifiable" cause and released only after hours of diplomatic intervention, while three others were deported.

The parliamentary delegation was attending an international cybersecurity conference in Tel Aviv, while the three deported travelers returned to Ghana on the next available flight, according to the ministry.

"This condemnable conduct by Israeli authorities is extremely provocative, unacceptable" the statement said.

It said the Foreign Ministry would summon officials from the Israeli Embassy in Accra early Wednesday to register its displeasure "in the strongest possible terms."

The ministry said the Israeli government's claim that Ghana's embassy failed to cooperate in the deportation of its citizens was "totally untenable," adding that the mission in Tel Aviv had been responsive and compliant with international law.

Ghana and Israel established diplomatic relations after the former's independence in 1957. Following the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, Ghana, along with other African countries, severed ties with Tel Aviv. Relations, however, were restored in 1994 and have since included regular travel and cooperation.