Ghana and Israel Trade Deportations in Rapidly Escalating Diplomatic Spat

Ghana and Israel found themselves in an unusual tit-for-tat on Thursday, after Accra deported three Israelis in direct retaliation for Israel’s removal of three Ghanaian citizens earlier in the week.

Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said its move came after what it described as the “inhumane and unjustified” treatment of seven Ghanaian travelers detained at Ben-Gurion Airport on December 7. According to Accra, the group included staff from Ghana’s parliamentary service who were headed to a cybersecurity conference in Tel Aviv. After more than five hours of diplomatic intervention, four were released; three were placed on a return flight.

Israeli officials reportedly told Ghana the issue stemmed from a lack of cooperation by its embassy, an explanation Accra dismissed as “totally untenable.”

Ghana responded by summoning Israeli diplomats and deporting three Israelis who had recently arrived in the country. Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa later confirmed the expulsions were purely reciprocal, saying none of the Israelis had done anything wrong. He also revealed that Israel’s chargé d’affaires acknowledged that all seven Ghanaian travelers had valid visas issued by his office.

Ablakwa said Israel apologized and urged de-escalation, but he underscored that Ghana would respond proportionally to any future cases. “If they deport 10 Ghanaians, we’ll deport 10. 20, we’ll deport 20. 50, we’ll deport 50. We are not going to accept this,” he said in a radio interview.

Despite the sharp rhetoric, both governments now say the matter has been resolved after urgent consultations in Accra. Ghana emphasized that it values its six decades of ties with Israel but expects its citizens to be treated with “dignity and respect.”

In Israel, officials have not publicly commented on the case.