Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
The Government of Ghana has taken exception to what it describes as ‘maltreatment’ of Ghanaians by Israeli officials at the Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out that “the government has observed with great concern that since Sunday, December 7, 2025, Ghanaian travellers have been deliberatly targeted and subjected to inhumane and traumatic treatment.
“On the day in issue, seven Ghanaian travellers to Israel were detained at the Ben Gurion International Airport without justifiable cause. The detained included four members of a Parliamentary delegation taking part in the ongoing annual international cybersecurity conference in Tel Aviv.”
The detained persons were only released “after more than five hours of strenuous diplomatic intervention, with the remaining three deported on the next available flight to Ghana,” according to the statement.
Government, the statement went on, “considers the action of the Israeli authorities as unfairly targeting Ghanaian travellers and accordingly conveys its strong reservations against the humiliating treatment of our citizens at the Ben Gurion International Airport.”
The two countries have enjoyed cordial relationships for more than six decades, with considerable high volumes of unimpeded travels by citizens of both nations, said the statement, adding that “the condemnable conduct by the Israeli authorities is extremely provocative, unacceptable and inconsistent with our historical relations.”
The statement described the justification provided by the Israeli government as being the non-cooperation of Ghana’s embassy in the deportation of Ghanaians in Israeli custody, as totally untenable.
Ghana’s mission in Tel Aviv, the statement points out, “has been responsive in compliance with international law.”
Following the development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday summoned officials of the Israeli Embassy in Accra “to convey our displeasure in the strongest possible terms, as government considers appropriate reciprocal action.”