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Israel-Africa Relations: Why Netanyahu Is Back In Africa Four Decades After Entebbe

Israel-Africa Relations: Why Netanyahu Is Back In Africa Four Decades After Entebbe

Exactly four decades after his brother was killed at the Entebbe Airport in Uganda, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is back in Africa as he starts the first visit by an Israeli leader to sub-Saharan Africa since 1987.

In 1976, Israel commandos, led by Jonathan Netanyahu, the elder brother of the Israeli leader, staged a daring operation that rescued more than 100 hostages held for a week at the Entebbe airport terminal.

40 years later, Netanyahu announced his planned four-day visit to four East African countries — Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Ethiopia — as Israel’s attempts to return to Africa in a big way.

“After many decades, I can say unequivocally Israel is coming back to Africa and Africa is coming back to Israel,” he said at the Ugandan airport on the shore of Lake Victoria where he mark the anniversary of the Israeli rescue mission.

“All of our peoples will benefit greatly from our growing partnership,” he added.

On top of his agenda is the fight against a growing terror threat by Islamist groups across Africa, and his long-standing fight with Palestine back home.

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Israel wants African states to support it at the U.N., which recognized Palestine as a nonmember observer state in 2012 and has continuously condemned Israel’s construction of settlements in the West Bank and the blockade of the Gaza Strip .

“In the U.N. there are many [resolutions] which target Israel and we want to change this with the help of the Africans,” Arye Oded, a former Israeli ambassador to Kenya and Uganda, told German broadcaster DW.

Angelo Izama, a Ugandan analyst who runs a think tank called Fana Kwawote, told AP that Israel was trying to sway the African bloc at the U.N. from supporting the Palestine cause that has gained ground since its status was upgraded.

Israel also wants to increase in agricultural assistance to African nations in return to support at international forum, Fox News reported.

While only about 20 percent of Israel’s land area is arable, the small state of 8 million people has been a leading exporter of fresh produce and the most advanced agricultural technologies to Africa and other parts of the world.

Israel is expected to launch a $13 million development package for African states, which will including assistance in the sectors of agriculture, health and domestic security.

Israel has also reached a settlement with two undisclosed African countries to resettle around 40,000 migrants and refugees from Sudan and Eritrea, who entered the country through Egypt. The countries are reported to be Uganda and Rwanda, according to the Financial Times.