Backlash mounts after African Muslim preachers visit Israel

A visit by a group of African Muslim preachers to Israel has sparked widespread outrage, prompting several countries to issue statements distancing themselves from the individuals involved.

The visit took place on 1 December, Israel's foreign ministry said in a statement, claiming that the "delegation spoke with the President Isaac Herzog about the significance of their visit, the importance of deepening ties between Israel and Muslim communities in Africa, and the imperative to embrace coexistence and peace".

The Senegal Imams and Preachers Association condemned the "delegation of Senegalese clerics and journalists" visiting Israel, in a statement on Monday, stressing that they did not represent the Senegalese people or the country's religious leadership. 

The association reiterated Senegalese religious leaders’ firm support for Palestine, warning that the visit had stood against Senegal’s official stance and public sentiment.

A photograph published by the Israeli foreign ministry showed President Herzog posing with a group of African community leaders and preachers.

The ministry said representatives from Senegal, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Benin and Togo attended the meeting at the president's residence in Jerusalem.

In its statement, the ministry claimed Herzog had urged the delegation to "witness the reality on the ground in Israel, which stands in stark contrast to the lies and misinformation circulating around the world", and insisted that Israel was committed to strengthening ties across Africa. It added that the Muslim delegates had expressed "deep friendship with Israel and the Jewish people".

On Sunday, activists in Senegal confronted the Israeli ambassador, Yuval Waks, as he spoke at a conference in Dakar organised by a German foundation with partnerships in Israel.

Activists shouted: "Israel is a genocidal entity" and "You don’t belong here!" while many waved Palestinian flags in solidarity with civilians under indiscriminate Israeli bombardment in Gaza since October 2023. 

The same ambassador was chased out of a university in Dakar in May 2025 by students protesting Israel’s actions.

Senegal has long supported Palestinians in their struggle against Israeli occupation, with large protests taking place throughout Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

Last year, Senegal’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko accused major powers of being "complicit" in the genocide in Gaza.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians since October 2023, deepening the Strip’s humanitarian catastrophe. The genocide has been condemned by faith leaders around the world, including Palestinian pastor Munther Isaac and the late Pope Francis.