Major African countries have flatly rejected the African Union's (AU) decision to grant Israel an official observer status at the continental organization.

Arab media outlets reported that the embassies of Libya, Egypt, Algeria, Comoros, Tunisia, Djibouti, and Mauritania in the Ethiopian capital, submitted a strongly worded statement to the Chairman of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki, whose headquarters is in Addis Ababa.

The statement signed by the ambassadors of these countries demanded that this issue be discussed in the coming session, reiterating their rejection of this step in light of the Union's support for the Palestinian cause.

"The AU Commission took the decision unilaterally without considering the Union's system, which constitutes an unacceptable procedural and political violation," the signatories to the statement insisted.

Other African countries have also announced their rejection to grant Israel observer status, including South Africa, Eritrea, Senegal, Tanzania, Niger, Gabon, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Liberia, Mali, and Seychelles.

The State of Israel had announced earlier that it had officially obtained the status of an observer member of the African Union, a goal that Israeli diplomats have worked for nearly two decades to achieve.