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Tag: Israeli ambassador

  • GFA President Kurt Okraku meets Israeli Ambassador hold talks on strengthening football ties

    GFA President Kurt Okraku meets Israeli Ambassador hold talks on strengthening football ties

    President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, recently met with the Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, Roey Gilad, to discuss ways to strengthen football cooperation between the two countries.

    The meeting, held at the Israeli Embassy in Accra on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, focused on deepening ties through various football initiatives.

    Ghana and Israel already share a strong football connection, with many Ghanaian male and female players competing in Israeli clubs. The bond was further strengthened when Israeli coach Avram Grant led the Black Stars from 2015 to 2017, taking them to the final of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. Another Israeli, Eyal Lachman, also coached Ghanaian club Hearts of Oak.

    During the meeting, both parties explored ideas for cultural and sporting events to celebrate their shared football history. They also discussed technical exchange programs to enhance the skills of Ghanaian coaches, medical staff, and marketing professionals by tapping into Israel’s expertise in sports science and football technology.

    The meeting also included discussions about Ghana’s U-15 national team taking part in a tournament in Israel. This opportunity would give young players valuable international experience and help them develop their skills.

    Additionally, the GFA is looking to partner with Israeli businesses in Ghana to support football development, including improving infrastructure and grassroots programs.

    A key focus of the discussions was coaching exchange programs. Ghanaian coaches would travel to Israel to learn about modern football technology, while Israeli experts would visit Ghana to share their knowledge.

    There were also plans to bring specialists to train local pitch managers, ensuring better playing conditions in the country.

    GFA President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku expressed confidence that this collaboration would greatly benefit Ghanaian football.

    “This engagement with the Israeli Ambassador and his team is a great step towards strengthening our football ecosystem. By leveraging Israel’s expertise in sports science and technology, we can create more opportunities for Ghanaian footballers, coaches, and administrators.”

    The GFA is dedicated to building strong international partnerships to improve football in Ghana. It will continue working with key stakeholders to put these plans into action in the coming months.

    Also present at the meeting were Michael Osekre, Chief of Staff to the GFA President, and Janice Odonkor, Head of Business Development at the GFA.

  • Hamas is a terrorist group that has to be destroyed – Israeli Ambassador to Ghana

    Hamas is a terrorist group that has to be destroyed – Israeli Ambassador to Ghana

    The Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, Shlomit Sufa, has said Hamas is a terrorist group that is causing harm to people. According to her, we need to beat the Harmas to keep people safe. Israel and Hamas are fighting each other. Hamas is a group of terrorists who launched an attack on Israel on October 7.

    They killed about 1400 innocent people who were just living their lives near Gaza. The terrorists killed those people in a really cruel and not humane way.

    “They brought 240 people as hostages to Gaza. Our aim is to destroy the Harams in this war and free our hostages,” she said on the Hot Issue with Kemmini Amanor on TV3 on Sunday, November 12th. Hamas attacked Israel on Saturday with lots of fighters entering communities near the Gaza Strip.

    At least 1,300 Israelis have died, and many soldiers and civilians, including women and children, are being kept as hostages in Gaza. Over 1,300 Palestinians have been killed in many air attacks on Gaza by Israel’s military. Israel has also stopped all essential supplies from entering Gaza.

    It is gathering soldiers at the Gaza border and Palestinians are getting ready for a ground attack that could cause more deaths. Britain took over Palestine after the Ottoman Empire lost in World War One.

    The area had mostly Arab people, but also some Jewish and other smaller groups. Conflict between two groups increased when the UK was asked to create a “homeland” for Jewish people in Palestine by the international community.

    This started from a promise made by Arthur Balfour in 1917 to the Jewish people in Britain. The statement was written into the British rule over Palestine and approved by the new League of Nations in 1922.

    Jews thought Palestine was their old home, but Palestinian Arabs also said it was theirs and didn’t like the idea. From the 1920s to the 1940s, a lot of Jews went there, running away from being hurt in Europe, especially from the Nazi Holocaust in World War Two. Fighting between Jews and Arabs and against the British government also got worse.

    In 1947, the United Nations decided to divide Palestine into Jewish and Arab states, and make Jerusalem an international city. The Jewish leaders agreed to the plan, but the Arab side did not and it was never put into action. In 1948, Britain left and Jewish leaders made Israel a country because they couldn’t fix the issue. It was supposed to be a safe place for Jews running away from being hurt, and also a homeland for Jews. Fighting between Jewish and Arab groups had been getting worse for months. The day after Israel became a country, five Arab countries attacked.

  • ‘Disperse’ Israeli attacks in Gaza — Martin

    ‘Disperse’ Israeli attacks in Gaza — Martin

    The foreign minister of Ireland said that Israel’s bombing of Gaza was not fair or needed.

    Micheál Martin, who is the deputy prime minister of Ireland, spoke at his party’s yearly meeting on Saturday.

    Over 9,000 people have died in Gaza because Israel is attacking in response to an unprecedented attack by Hamas gunmen on 7 October.

    Mr Martin said that the continuing attacks in the area were not right and agreed with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s statement that the attacks seemed like a form of revenge.

    MrMartin said that there was a lot of anger in Israel, but he believes that the size of the bombing on Gaza was not justified.

    I think that what Israel is doing is not fair and is more than what is needed.

    “I think this goes against the basic rules of international humanitarian law, where the ideas of needing something and making it fair are important. ”

    Mr Martin said that many children and innocent people are dying. He said Israel is going after Hamas, but they are doing it in a very cruel way.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that there won’t be a temporary break in fighting with Hamas in Gaza until all Israeli hostages are set free, as more and more innocent people are getting hurt.

    The deputy prime minister stated again that the Irish government wants the fighting to stop right away so that urgent help like medicine can be sent to Gaza.

    MrMartin did not outright say that any of Israel’s actions are war crimes. He said that the International Criminal Court will make the final decision on this matter.

    Israeli ambassador will not be sent away or removed from their position.

    He also said that Ireland will not kick out the Israeli ambassador.

    On Friday, the Republic of Ireland’s main opposition party Sinn Féin called the ambassador’s position unmanageable and said they should not have diplomatic status anymore.

    Mr Martin said that the decision was aimed at pleasing the general public or gaining their support.

    “He said that it is very important to keep connections and ways of communication with other countries in international diplomacy. ”

    “Diplomatic relations are important for foreign policy, even though they don’t imply support for another country’s policies. It is crucial to maintain open communication, especially during disputes or conflicts, such as a big war. ”

    The Irish government is trying to bring back Irish people who are currently in Gaza. There are around 30 to 40 Irish citizens in Gaza, along with their family members.

    “I don’t understand how we can effectively try to get our people out of Gaza,” he said.

    If we remove the Israeli ambassador. This means that the Irish ambassador, who is currently working and staying in touch with Irish citizens in Gaza, would have their actions and information documented right away.

    I believe it’s an agenda that aims to please the majority of people, but it’s not a serious way to manage our relations with other countries.

    MrMartin said that although there are different opinions in the European Union, it would be very difficult to get everyone to agree on punishing Israel.