Israel’s relations with Africa blossom

David Saks

Even as President Jacob Zuma was reiterating the ANC’s policy of “discouraging” travelling to Israel for purposes other than advancing the peace process, Sierra Leone’s President Ernest Bai Koroma, accompanied by his Foreign, Agriculture, Communications and Water Ministers, was preparing to embark on his country’s first official visit to Israel in more than four decades. 

A few weeks earlier, a senior delegation from Swaziland, headed by Prime Minister Dr Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini and including Swazi Agriculture Minister Moses Vilakati, had likewise visited Israel.

Netanyahu met with Koroma last week Thursday, the same day that he met with a delegation from South Africa’s official opposition Democratic Alliance headed by Mmusi Maimane. As was the case with the preceding Swazi meeting, the discussion largely focused on the expansion of bilateral co-operation, particularly in such fields as water management, education, agriculture, energy, health and security.

Netanyahu referred specifically to the major challenge Sierra Leone had faced in dealing with the Ebola epidemic, as well as the extensive assistance that Israel had provided to the country in that connection. This included sending a field hospital as well as establishing a dialysis centre in Freetown Hospital and substantial donations in medicines and cash.

Reference was further made to the bitter civil war from which Sierra Leone was recovering, with Netanyahu offering Israel’s assistance to help build the country to a “brighter and better future”.

Koroma acknowledged that relations between Sierra Leone and Israel, which pre-dated the independence of both countries, had “experienced some turbulence” over the years, but said that he was heartened by Israel’s efforts in rebuilding relations with African countries.

He further condemned the recent truck terror attack in Jerusalem, while at the same time expressing his belief that a lasting solution of every conflict could only be achieved through “the exercise of restraint and constructive dialogue”.

In his meeting with Dlamini last December, Netanyahu acknowledged the consistent friendship that Swaziland had shown towards Israel, even in times when such support by African countries was not fashionable.

“We have a solid friendship and a desire to co-operate even more. This is part of ‘Israel’s return to Africa’, we call it. But we know that in our relations there was never a downturn, there was never a relapse and I thank you and the Government of Swaziland over the years for the constancy of our friendship,” he said.

While Israel is reaching out to an unprecedented extent to African countries in terms of offering aid and development programmes, it has also given notice that the relationship cannot be expected to be an entirely one-sided one. This was demonstrated by the decision to suspend all aid to both Senegal and Angola following their voting in favour of the recent UN Security Council resolution stating that Israel′s settlement activity in territories captured in 1967 constituted a “flagrant violation” of international law and had “no legal validity”. Senegal, along with Venezuela, Malaysia and New Zealand, was one of countries that formally proposed the resolution.