Africa-Israel summit – ‘right thing at right time’

Parliamentarians from 25 African countries, with representatives from Europe and the United States, gathered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, this week for the first Africa-Israel Parliamentary Summit in a clear show of solidarity with Israel.

The members of parliament came from countries including Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

They joined Israeli Knesset members as Israel faces increased global scrutiny over the ongoing 11-month conflict with Hamas in Gaza.

“We are gathered to build on the Abraham Accords, and as children of Abraham pursue peace, progress, and prosperity,” said the founder of the Africa-Israel initiative, Erik Selle, who is the leader of the Conservative Party in Norway.

“As African economies are growing, a mutual, prosperous relationship between emerging nations and the start-up nation of Israel will be significant for the people of Africa,” he said.

The South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) welcomed the initiative and growing support for Israel.

“These 25 African countries recognise that Israel has a right to exist, and that African countries and Israel must both fight against Islamic extremism and the threat to their countries’ safety and civilians that radical Islamism poses,” said SAZF spokesperson Rolene Marks.

“These Africa-Israeli relationships mimic the Abraham Accords, which brought economic co-operation, friendship, and peace between Arab countries – the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco – and Israel,” she said.

The two-day summit took place against the backdrop of a diplomatic battle in Africa between Israel’s allies and detractors. South Africa has become one of Israel’s most outspoken critics on the global stage, having taken the Jewish state to the United Nations’ International Court of Justice (ICJ) on accusations of genocide. It also takes place against the backdrop of rising antisemitism and radical Islamism on both continents.

Speaking to the SA Jewish Report from Ethiopia, Knesset member Sharren Haskel of the United Right Party said, “This Africa-Israel Parliamentary Summit is the right thing at the right time.”

Haskel said the world was enduring the consequences of the rise of radical Islam. “We see it not only in Israel with the 7 October massacre, but with terror groups that are rising all over the world, including African states suffering from ISIS, Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab, and so many more.

“All of them are operated, supported, and funded by the main force of evil in our world today – Iran. This summit is the opportunity to create co-operation that crosses continents in our righteous fight to protect our culture, values, way of life, and right to practice our faith the way we see fit as sovereign in our homeland.”

Haskel said these were things radical Islam was trying to take away.

“We cannot budge on human rights,” she said. “We cannot budge on women’s rights. We cannot budge on our right to go to a synagogue or church and practice our faith. We are here, parliamentarians from 25 African nations and Israel, to say together that we stand in the face of this evil and that we call the respective African nations to stand side-by-side with Israel in the fight against terror and radical Islam.”

Marks said South Africa was “out of step” with much of the Western World, the Arab world, and its African brothers and sisters who support Israel.

“While 25 African countries are sending legislators to the summit, South Africa continues to fight Israel at the ICJ and falsely accuse Israel of genocide. South Africa’s foreign policy makes it an outlier as it sides with rogue states such as Iran and is no longer a diplomatic leader on the world stage as it was in 1994,” she said.

According to reports, many of the African parliamentarians at the conference are members of Israel Allies caucuses in their respective parliaments, actively championing pro-Israel legislation through faith-based diplomacy.

“This gathering brings together dozens of nations across Africa, Europe, the United States, and, of course, Israel, united by a shared commitment to strengthening ties and co-operation to contribute to this meaningful dialogue and I’m inspired by the shared vision that is taking shape here,” Gedaliah Blum, the co-founder of the Heartland Initiative that aims to strengthen Israel and its connections, posted on Facebook.

“Together, we are building bridges and creating partnerships that will have a lasting impact on our communities and beyond.

“The conference created a platform for people to be openly pro-Israel and quash the levels of intimidation and fear coming from the other side,” Blum said. “The representatives see that Israel isn’t like other countries that exploit people, instead they see Israel as an altruistic nation that wants to help for the good of the world.”

Steven Gruzd, the head of the African Governance and Diplomacy Programme at the South African Institute of International Affairs, said South Africa was “noticeable in its absence” and that “Israel does have friends in Africa despite the war. It should be seen in the context of Israeli re-engagement with Africa since 2016.”

Bishop Dennis Nthumbi, the Africa director of the Israel Allies Foundation said, “The purveyors of hate, jihadism, and antisemitism have no moral standing, and nations must stand against this demonic posture.”

Josh Reinstein, the president of the Israel Allies Foundation posted on X, “The relationship between Africa and Israel is getting stronger every day thanks to men and women of faith who are taking their Biblical support for Israel and turning it into real political action.”