The Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, Roey Gilad, has called on Ghana to join international efforts to pressure Iran to stop interfering in the affairs of the Middle East.
Addressing a press conference at the Israeli Embassy in Accra on Wednesday (August 26, 2026), Mr Gilad said Iran's activities remained a major source of instability in the region.
"Ghana needs to be part of the international pressure to tell Iran to hold its horses and stop interfering in Middle East issues and stop destabilising the Middle East," he said.
The Ambassador said Ghana, which has long-standing diplomatic relations with Israel dating back to 1957 and is respected as a voice of moderation in Africa, needed to be part of the efforts to "tell Iran to hold its horses and stop interfering in the Middle East issues and stop destabilising the Middle East."
Gaza operation not genocide
Responding to President John Mahama's assertion that Israel's operation in Gaza was wrong, Mr Gilad said Israel's intention was not to target civilians.
He said civilian casualties in Gaza were collateral damage in a defence operation triggered by the October 7, 2023 attack.
"The intention of Israel was not to attack civilians; they were a collateral damage. Without an element of intention, it is not a genocide; it was a defence operation," Mr Gilad stated.
Mr Gilad said disagreements with Ghana’s position describing the Gaza operation as genocide did not mean relations between Ghana and Israel were strained.
"Because we have any disagreement does not mean we have bad relations with Ghana. We still see Ghana as an extremely important partner of Israel," he said.
He disclosed that Ghana had reopened its Embassy in Tel Aviv on Tuesday after it was closed for the past six months due to the war in the Middle East, which is a sign of stronger relations between the two states.
Trust deficit
Mr Gilad said the October 7 massacre, in which over 1,200 Israelis were killed, had deeply traumatised Israeli society and eroded trust between Israelis and Palestinians.
He said before the attack, the idea of a two-state solution enjoyed considerable support among Israelis, but that support had declined sharply after the massacre.
"Israelis have been traumatised since the October 7 massacre of over 1,200 Israelis and the level of trust for Palestinians has gone down.
Before the massacre, the idea of the two-state solution was popular but after it, the Israelis no longer trust the Palestinians for a two-state solution," he said.
Mr Gilad noted that rebuilding trust was essential and until that was achieved, efforts towards a political solution would remain difficult.
Mr Gilad reiterated Israel's position that it has no intention of permanently occupying the territory but insisted that lasting peace would require the disarmament of Hamas and other Axis of Resistance in the region.
He said Israel "will not push back to the international border unless Hamas decommissions".
ICC warrant
On the warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr Gilad described the decision as wrong and said it had been extensively criticised by European countries.
He said it was inappropriate to issue an arrest warrant for a democratically elected leader who was acting to protect his people.
"This warrant issued by the ICC against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was criticised by the Europeans extensively and it is a joke to issue a warrant for the arrest of a democratic President that is fighting for the protection of its people. I think that decision is wrong," Mr Gilad said.
The Ambassador said the campaign against Iran had not been fully achieved, but expressed optimism that economic measures being pursued by the United States could yield results.
