Why is Mahama loud on Israel but silent on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? - Israeli ambassador asks

Israel’s Ambassador to Ghana, HE Roey Gilad, has questioned what he describes as differences in the Ghanaian government’s response to the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The ambassador raised concerns about Ghana’s diplomatic posture towards the two conflicts, arguing that while the government has been vocal about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it has been less critical of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking at a recent event attended by the Member of Parliament for Assin South, Rev John Ntim Fordjour, Ambassador Roey Gilad said Ghana appeared to be taking different approaches to the two international crises.

“On the Ukraine-Russia conflict, Ghana is very much non-aligned. We don't hear much criticism of Russia for their aggression against Ukraine,” he said.

“ But as for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the current government is very loud,” he added.

The ambassador asked Rev Ntim Fordjour, a member of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), whether he understood the apparent difference in Ghana’s responses to the two conflicts.

In his response, Rev Ntim Fordjour said he could not speak authoritatively on Ghana’s foreign policy, stressing that he was neither a government spokesperson nor a representative of the government on foreign affairs.

“I cannot pretend to be an authority on the foreign policy of Ghana. Neither am I the government spokesperson or representative on government foreign policy,” he said.

However, he offered his perspective on the security considerations surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, arguing that Israel faces existential threats from non-state actors and, at times, state actors.

He said countries had a responsibility to take necessary measures to protect their national security and ensure their survival when faced with threats.

“One country faces existential threats from non-state actors, and even at some point from state actors. So, both asymmetric and symmetric levels, we are facing threats,” he said.

Rev Ntim Fordjour also referred to Ghana’s national security strategy, noting that the country recognises terrorism as a global and regional threat that can also undermine domestic security.

He said the strategy acknowledges the need for states to take essential steps to protect their national security interests.

How many more lives must be lost? - Mahama challenges world leaders over Gaza

President Mahama's recent comments on the war in Gaza:

President John Dramani Mahama has called for stronger international action over the crisis in Gaza, the conflict in Sudan and other wars, warning that the credibility of the global system is being weakened by selective application of international law.

Speaking at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday, September 24, 2026, Mahama said world leaders must stop hiding the scale of suffering behind diplomatic language.

"The time has come for us to stop using diplomatic euphemisms to veil the human carnage that is taking place in Gaza and the West Bank," he said.

"How many more lives must be lost before the world acts with decisive moral authority?" he added.

Mahama referred to the death of five-year-old Hind Rajab and more than 20,000 children, he said, who have been killed in the conflict.

"The blood of 5-year-old Hind Rajab and the more than 20,000 children that have been killed in this brutal conflict cries out to the conscience of the world," he said.

He condemned collective punishment, forced starvation and mass displacement.

Watch a video of the incident below:



BAI/VPO

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