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Ghana has deported three Israeli nationals in retaliation for the alleged ill-treatment and “unjustified deportation” of three Ghanaian travellers by Israeli authorities.
The action was confirmed in an official statement released on Wednesday by the Ghanaian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and shared on X by Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Sam Okudzeto.
According to the statement, the three Israelis arrived in Accra earlier in the day but were immediately expelled after Ghanaian officials concluded that Israel had unfairly targeted and traumatised Ghanaian travellers.
“Following the ill-treatment and unjustified deportation of three Ghanaian nationals by Israeli authorities, the Government of Ghana has been compelled to retaliate by deporting three (3) Israelis who arrived in Ghana earlier today,” the statement read.
The ministry said the Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the Israeli Embassy in Accra was summoned, as the ambassador is currently out of the country.
Both governments have since agreed to pursue an “amicable resolution” of the diplomatic row.
The Ghanaian government reiterated that it would “continue to safeguard the dignity of its nationals and also that of other nationals”.
The statement added, “Ghana deeply values our relations with all friendly countries and expects our citizens to be treated with dignity and respect in much the same way as other governments expect Ghana to treat their nationals.”
The development follows an earlier statement issued on Wednesday, in which Accra condemned the treatment of its citizens at the Ben Gurion Airport, Israel.
Ghanaian authorities said seven travellers, including four members of a parliamentary delegation attending an international cybersecurity conference in Tel Aviv, were detained for hours without cause on December 7.
While the four lawmakers were released after more than five hours of diplomatic intervention, the remaining three travellers were deported and have since returned to Ghana.
Accra described Israel’s actions as “provocative, unacceptable and inconsistent” with longstanding relations between both countries, which have spanned more than six decades.
The ministry rejected Israel’s justification that the incident stemmed from alleged non-cooperation by the Ghanaian Embassy in Tel Aviv, insisting that its mission had fully complied with international protocols.
Before the retaliatory deportations, Ghana had warned that it was considering appropriate reciprocal measures.
Israeli authorities have not publicly responded to Ghana’s latest action
