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| Africa North |
| Mauritania expels Israeli ambassador and his staff |
| 2009-03-07 |
| Mauritania has expelled the Israeli ambassador and his staff from the overwhelmingly Muslim West African nation, Foreign Ministry officials confirmed Friday afternoon. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the Foreign Ministry had yet to release details. Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor would not immediately comment. Army Radio quoted Jerusalem officials as saying that Mauritanian authorities on Friday morning had ordered the Israeli mission to dismantle the security apparatuses around the embassy and remove the Israeli guards, and that the embassy could therefore no longer operate. An AP reporter in the Mauritanian capital of Nouakchott confirmed the embassy was closed. Al-Arabiya reported that the Western African nation had given Israeli ambassador Miki Arbel 48 hours to leave the country. Ties have been strained between Jerusalem and Mauritania - one of only three Arab League countries, along with Egypt and Jordan, to have full ties with Israel - since Operation Cast Lead. In January, Mauritania suspended contacts with Israel to protest the IDF operation in Gaza, and earlier that month, the country recalled its ambassador from Israel for consultations amid street protests over the offensive. |
| Posted by:Fred |