Angolan diplomats sacked for attending Jerusalem Embassy opening
Jao Diogo Fortunato was fired from his job for "failing to comply with procedures and harming Angola's good reputation with countries that have enjoyed historically good relations."
By MAARIV ONLINEUpdated: MAY 24, 2018 12:17Ivanka Trump is all smiles at the official opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem, May 14, 2018(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Angolan Foreign Minister Manuel Augusto dismissed two senior diplomats on Wednesday for their participation in the the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem, according to African Media.Jao Diogo Fortunato, a senior official at the Angolan Embassy in Tel Aviv, was fired from his job for "failing to comply with procedures and harming Angola's good reputation with countries that have enjoyed historically good relations."The Angolan state-run newspaper reported that Fortunato participated in the opening ceremony of the embassy in Jerusalem with the approval of the director for African, Middle East and Regional Organizations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and that it was "contrary to the government's decision."The Foreign Ministry invited 86 diplomats serving in Israel, but only about half of them attended the opening ceremony.While significant Western European representatives were absent from the ceremony, those who broke the European consensus were the ambassadors of Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Austria. These states attended the ceremony despite the European Union's position that moving the embassy to Jerusalem harms efforts to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
