Two senior Angolan diplomats were fired this week for attending a gala dinner hosted by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs to celebrate the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem.

Manuel Augusto Jao Diogo Fortunato – a senior adviser and the number 2 figure in the Angolan Embassy in Tel Aviv – attended the 13 May event with the approval of Angola’s Director for African, Middle East and Regional Organizations, Joaquim do Espírito Santo.

Angolan media reports said that Angola’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Manuel Augusto, fired Fortunato and Santo for “failing to comply with procedures and harming Angola’s good reputation.”

Fortunato was one of twelve envoys from African countries to participate in the event. Other African countries that attended were: Rwanda, South Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Zambia, Tanzania, Nigeria, Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Those African nations that did attend were heavily criticized for betraying Africa’s legacy of anti-colonialism and undermining the Palestinian liberation struggle.