Strategic Silence?

The African Union and South-South cooperation in the Israel-Palestine conflict

Abstract

This article critically evaluates the African Union’s (AU) response to the Israel-Palestine conflict, interrogating whether its foreign policy exemplifies the values of Pan-Africanism, South-South cooperation (or solidarity), and human rights as enunciated in the AU’s Constitutive Act. The AU’s foundational principles entrench respect for human rights and solidarity, yet a significant gap exists between these normative commitments and its diplomatic practice regarding the Palestinian cause. Based on a qualitative analysis of AU communiqués, summit resolutions, and historical records, this study contrasts the AU’s current posture with that of its more vocally aligned predecessor, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). This article argues that the AU’s strategic silence is not a position of principled neutrality but a calculated consequence of internal fragmentation among member states, the securitisation of foreign policy, and powerful external geopolitical pressures. This trend erodes the AU’s historical commitment to South-South cooperation and undermines its moral authority on the global stage. This article concludes by proposing concrete pathways toward a more coherent and principled AU policy, including the robust use of Palestine’s existing observer status and the appointment of a Special Envoy to revitalise African diplomatic engagement.