The African countries that got rid of the pain of colonial rule in the 1960s had cold relations towards Israel, and were sympathetic to the struggle of the Palestinians who were uprooted from their lands and homes in 1948 AD.

The positions of African countries regarding the battle that the Palestinian resistance began last October 7 range between three main positions: These are: support for Israel, sympathy for the liberation of Palestine, and non-alignment characterized by calls for a ceasefire and reaffirmation of the two-state solution.

Among the strongest supporters of Israel on the continent: Ghana, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Kenya, all of whose governments expressed their solidarity with Israel after the October 7 attack, while Palestine found its strongest support in Africa among the group of countries north and south of the continent, led by South Africa.

Chris Agunmodi, a geopolitical analyst specializing in Africa’s foreign relations, says that it is certain that African peoples and governments care about events in Palestine to the same extent as people in other places, but it is difficult to talk about the “African point of view.” There are more than 1.4 billion people in 55 countries across Africa, and they have different viewpoints that we do not know much about at the present time.
While experts say that the divisions in Africa highlight the attempt of each government to divide its interests, and emphasize the development of relations between some African countries and Israel, on the one hand there are deep-rooted relations with the Palestinian movement; On the other hand, there is the offer of advanced technology and military aid from Israel; What might determine Africa's future propensity?

Double standards policy!

The question comes: Do African governments deal with two aspects regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Trade with Israel and strengthen relations with it, while in some cases talking about supporting the Palestinian cause?

Experts believe that the apparent contradiction and divisions within Africa regarding this Israeli aggression against Gaza is not surprising, and they point to the recent division in the continent’s positions after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and while the Russian invasion of a sovereign state was not condoned; A third of African countries chose to remain neutral in the UN vote condemning the Russian invasion.

Regardless of the nature of the relationship between African countries and Israel; Many African governments may sympathize with Palestinian sentiments that Western powers - and the United States in particular - are far from being honest mediators in the conflict.

In another example, African countries, despite intensifying relations with Israel, voted overwhelmingly against the US decision to open an embassy in disputed Jerusalem at an emergency UN meeting in 2017.

Flood torrent!

The shock that Israel is currently experiencing lies in its failure that occurred in the Battle of “Al-Aqsa Flood” in the field of military intelligence, in which it always boasts of its advanced capabilities. Military experts believe that Israel transformed last October 7 from a major intelligence force in the world to a force that does not have it. Any effective intelligence.

Israel was considered an attractive partner for many African governments because of its advanced defense technologies and world-leading position in the agricultural sector, and in the past decade, private Israeli associations, technology companies, and politicians have intensified their efforts to gain a prominent position in Africa.

Regarding the impact of what happened on October 7 on the continuation of the normalization process, the Israeli-African relations expert expects that the normalization process will likely be undermined, and it is unlikely that any new African country that has relations with Israel and has a Muslim majority will join the “Abraham” Accords in the future. near.

He added that if the war continues for a long time, some Israeli exports may be directed to local military consumption, which will weaken Israel's export capabilities.

The future of Israeli-African relations... where to?

In light of the rapid developments on the global political scene, a question arises about the future of Israeli-African relations. Once the war in Gaza ends, Israel will find itself facing a major challenge to restore its foreign relations again.

Finally, it seems that the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle will go beyond the borders of its geographical area, with its effects and repercussions moving beyond what is expected. Will Israel rectify its failure to restore its image again? Or will Africa have a different opinion in light of the changes on the global scene? This is what the coming days will reveal.
Source: African readings
Journalist: Rawda Ali Abdel Ghaffar - Adapted