Israel’s Africa Policy Revisited

Our friends at ‘Z’ word have posted a great in depth article on the history of Africa-Israel relations. Contrary to the myths peddled by many anti-Zionists and the fears of the more paranoid Israel supporters, Africa has not displayed a uniform or timeless opposition to the Jewish state. This article by Michelle Sieff (Associate Director of the Africa Institute of the American Jewish Committee) details both the disparity between different African states and changes over time in their policies towards Israel. Thus for those interested in understanding how to improve the Israel/Jewish-Afro relationship going forward this article is a must read.

African liberation movements and newly independent states felt a strong sense of kinship towards Zionism and the Jewish state. There was of course the common bond of historical suffering but also a tremendous respect for the Israeli model of state building and economic development. For example, Nelson Mandela at the Rivonia Trial told the court that the structure of the ANC’s armed wing had been based on the right wing Irgun movement that fought against the British occupation of Palestine in the 1940’s.

By 1972 Israel had established diplomatic relations with 32 African states. Aside from the former colonial powers, this amazingly represented the largest diplomatic network in Africa. Every country that established diplomatic relations with the Jewish state benefited from an aid and technical assistance program administered by Mashav, Israel's Division for International Cooperation.

But the ideological winds had begun to blow against Israel. Nassar and later Qadhafi began to strategically demonize Israel in ways that conformed with, as Sieff puts it, ‘the cognitive frames that African nationalists used to make sense of the world’. They were able to exploit African fears of "neo-colonialism" by portraying Israel as a tool of the former colonial powers designed to perpetuate their control over the continent. The allure of vast sums in aid from the petro-rich Arab states was also no small incentives. While for a time some prominent African heads of state attempted to rebuff this ideological and financial pressure to cut ties with Israel, the 1973 Yom Kippur war was the event that finally broke the relationship. Israel’s crossing of the Suez Canal and stationing of troops on African soil was a red line whose crossing most African states could not support. By mid-November of 1973 Malawi, Swaziland, Lesotho, and Mauritius were the only black African states to still maintain diplomatic relations with Israel.

Following 1973, declarations equating Zionism with racism and Apartheid became the staple of African bodies like the OAU and African voting blocks at the United Nations regularly aided Arab states in ramming through anti-Israel resolutions. 20 African states supported the infamous 1975 UN Zionism = Racism resolution for example (Although five states - the Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Malawi, and Swaziland – did oppose it and twelve states abstained). During the 1980s Israel’s relationship with Apartheid South Africa also further complicated Afro-Israel relations.

The fall of the apartheid regime and the signing of the Olso accords paved the way for the 1990s to be the decade of Africa-Israel rapprochement. By the end of the turn of the millennium, forty African governments had established ties with the Jewish state. But as Sieff warns, the civil societies of many of these countries have remained hostile or even become more so. Sadly South Africa is used as the prime example. Looking forward, given the more active role of NGOs in African politics, this may pose a serious challenge to strengthening these renewed ties in the future.

In light of this, as Sieff asks at the end of her piece, what can Israel and the Jewish world do to safeguard and continue to improve Africa Israel relations. Darfur is her answer. For she claims that firstly, the atrocities in Darfur lay to rest, once and for all, any myths of Arab-African unity. Secondly, she argues that the "rhetoric of reaction" which the Sudanese government, other Arab governments, and the Arab press have used to deflect attention from the real cause of the atrocities reveals the absurdity and pernicious nature of anti-Zionist discourses.

From New York this solution may seem plausible but given what I have seen in South Africa I seriously doubt it would have any significant impact. It might surprise foreign reads but Darfur has elicited almost zero media attention or concern in South Africa. Our government has consistently supported Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir; there have been no big save Darfur rallies or campaigns nor do most people even think of the violence in racial Arab verse African terms. In fact the large amount of attention that Sudan gets in the West (particular America) is certainly not comforting to Africans. Oil, imperialism and precipitating war in Africa are all seen as possible reasons. Many Africans fear Sudan is the next Iraq. The significant Jewish contribution to the international save Darfur effort only aggravates this suspicion.

Apart from solving the Arab-Israeli conflict (in particular the Palestinian issue), the only way for Israel to improve its branding in Africa is a return to its strategy of old. Development assistance, development assistance and more development assistance. Now 50 years on sine the first African states gained independence, prosperity is surely more important to Africans than ideology. Israel represents a unique example of a poor country with no natural resources that was able, within a relatively short space of time, to achieve massive economic development. We hear so often about the Asian Tigers or the Celtic Tiger but never about the Jewish Lion. Strengthening Israel’s future relationship with Africa lies in sharing its knowledge and experience on how to build a modern and successful market base and democratic nation state.

Comments

[BLACKLISTED DICTATOR]

Mike,

I should also alert Supernatural readers to Ben Cohen's latest article that attacks the zionist/apartheid analogy.

Your last paragraph is particularly pertinent but the harsh question arises... do African nations want to build democratic nation states?

[Gary]

Today in 2008 most African countries don't share South Africa's pathological hatred of Israel and Israel has good friends in Africa, some who actually attended Israel celebrations in Jerusalem. Also 8 African countries have attacked SA's anti-Israel bias.

Unlike SA, most African states did vote, foe example, for Israel's entry into the Red Cross, and unlike SA, most did vote to condemmn holocaust denial in the UN.

[BLACKLISTED DICTATOR]

Gary,

Outside of the Arab world, South Africa has the most anti-zionist press.

Of course The SAHRD jumped on a bandwagon which was already overflowing.

[Gary]

This Israel-hatred is the staple diet of South Africa's intellectual elite.
The new generation will swallow it with their mother's milk.

[soccerdad]

Israel does continue diplomatic outreach to Africa. There are also private initiatives. These ought to be publicized more.

[Mike]

Soccerdad, you are 100% correct. Even in South Africa Israel does amazing work with improving subsistence agriculture. But I think they need to think bigger. They need to start portraying themselves as a state not only that can make the dessert bloom but can build a successful state (in the broad sense).

I hope to write some more on this in the future.

[Moshe]

Blacklisted Dictator asks an important question. The truth is that Africans are against democracy. After their so-called liberation from colonialism they all became black dictatorships. Israel cannot teach them anything about democracy. They were better off under European colonialists. Israel has many of its own problems. It shouldn't bother with Africans.

[Mike]

Moshe, I think that is a very short sighted and parochial approach. Not all African states are today or have always been dictatorships. Off the top of my head, Botswana is a great example of a democratic, peaceful and relatively prosperous African state.

Israel can benefit in many ways from improved relations with Africa. Increased trade for example would further strengthen her economic growth and great more jobs and wealth for ordinary Israelis. On the political front more friend in the world would certainly not hurt. With enough African support,she may even be able to prevent the slew of UN censures that she receives every year.

I heard an excellent quote from a former high ranking US diplomat today that is extremely appropriate here. In the age of globalization, foreign policy is domestic policy.

[BLACKLISTED DICTATOR]

Mike,
There are more crocodiles in Botswana than healthy (non HIV) people.
Botswana is really a crocodilocracy.

[Bigben]

Mike

You should see some of the quotes from African giants such as Dr Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and Julius Nyerere of Tanazania in the early days of independance. It is very clear that they see zionisim as the a form of anti-colonialism. In general other Africans that I have met are very posisitive about Israel and are better informed than their South African counterparts.

I sometimes wonder whether it was simply a trick of geograhpy and colonialism that we ended up as thinking of Israel as out of Africa in the first place. Certainly in some aspects it mirrors African states more closely than it does either Arab or European. There has been a lot of studies on the politics and international relations of African states and perhaps some comparative studies would help us understand israels situation better.