Netanyahu's return may augur well for India-Israel-Africa trilateral relationship

Five elections later, on November 1 2022, the right-wing bloc led by the former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won 64 out of 120 seats in parliament, ending the short-lived, awkward coalition that had only been formed in June 2021. As it ended Israel’s protracted political unrest and restored the country’s longest-serving Prime Minister to his post, there is much debate over what his return means for Israel’s strategy toward Africa and whether it would have an impact on India’s Africa outreach. Netanyahu’s return seems to augur well for Israel’s Africa policy and enhanced India-Africa relations. Israel and Africa have indeed had diplomatic ties since the middle of the 1950s when many African nations began to gain their freedom. David Ben-Gurion, the first prime minister of Israel, considered establishing diplomatic ties with African nations as a way to reduce Israel’s diplomatic seclusion. Later, Israel’s foreign minister, Golda Meir, maintained the same approach. She acknowledged the importance of strong ties to Africa in order to enhance Israel’s international image and secure legitimacy for its national boundaries and ethnic integrity. The prominence of Africa in Israel’s foreign policy during her tenure was reinforced by her 1958 trip to Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and Senegal. As a matter of fact, she was the first Israeli Minister to travel to Africa. But in 1973, after the Yom Kippur War and the subsequent oil embargo imposed by the Gulf monarchs, the Israel-Africa relationship soured drastically. Cheap oil and tempting offers of financial aid led several African nations to terminate their bilateral ties with Israel. Then, the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the predecessor organisation of the AU, passed a resolution removing Israel from the continental body. The expulsion of Israel, which was largely the result of pressure from Arab nations, has remained an unfortunate chapter in the history of Africa-Israel relations. And the memory of the Yom Kippur War and its aftereffects are still strong in Israel’s memory. As a result of the incident, even today, Israel remains cautious of Africa’s stance vis-à-vis their country. Surely things have improved in the past fifteen-odd years. Israel currently maintains bilateral ties with 46 African nations. Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation (MASHAV) which was founded in 1958 to assist the newly independent African states, is an important tool for Israel in its engagement with Africa. Over the years, MASHAV has undertaken several development initiatives in Africa including training for specialists from various African nations interested in learning from Israel’s experience in irrigation, solar energy, water management, and agriculture. The strategy used by MASHAV in Africa is comprehensive and sustainable, with a focus on healthcare, economic development, community development, women empowerment, and education. On December 2017, Mashav, along with ECOWAS organised an agricultural conference on the theme of sustainable production of agriculture in arid and semi-arid areas. The event was attended by seven ministers and numerous other top officials from over a dozen Western African nations. At this point, it is important to note that Netanyahu is one of the chief architects in Israel’s recent rapprochement with Africa. PM Netanyahu recognised the value of strengthening Israel’s ties with Africa in order to confront many Islamic countries in its surrounding. Africa is also significant for him as it opens up new markets for Israeli high-tech, security, and agricultural products. Additionally, PM Netanyahu was adamant to improve African countries’ voting records on matters pertaining to Israel in different international fora like the UNESCO and UN Security Council. In July 2016, Netanyahu was the first Israeli prime minister in decades to visit the continent.  His visit to Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, and Ethiopia resulted in a highly positive wave in favour of Israel in these four countries. Later in June 2017, PM Netanyahu attended and gave his historic speech at the 51st summit of ECOWAS in Liberia. Followed by the successful launch of the Abraham Accords in 2020, Israel applied for observer status in the African Union. To recall, Israel had observer status in the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the continental body prior to the AU. But when the OAU was disbanded and the AU was established in 2002, late ex-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi ensured that Israel is expelled from the AU. Later, in 2003 and 2016, Israel again made two formal requests for observer status. However, the applications were turned down on both occasions. On 22 July 2021, the African Union Commission made a surprise announcement regarding Israel’s inclusion in the AU after twenty years. However, the decision was vehemently opposed by Algeria and South Africa. Earlier, Algeria had voiced its displeasure with the Abraham Accords. South Africa also expressed its disapproval of the AU’s unilateral decision to grant Israel observer status, calling it unjust and pointless. To prevent the unprecedented rift among the 55-member members’ body, AU decided to postpone the discussion until the meeting of the next year. Instead, the President of Senegal Macky Sall, the newly elected AU chairperson, formed an eight-member commission made up of eight Heads of State. The African Union (AU) will announce its decision concerning Israel’s observer status at its annual summit, set to take place in early 2023. And Israel doesn’t want to miss the bus again. Indeed, Israel’s Africa policy lacked any clear strategic objective during the past few decades. In contrast, Israel supported a number of tyrants, notably Hissene Habre of Chad, Mobutu Sese Seko of present-day Congo, and Gnassingbe Eyadema of Togo. Israel was also criticised for rendering support to the apartheid state in South Africa. Unfortunately, defence and military cooperation occupied the major space of Israel’s bilateral trade with African countries. It is also true that in comparison to Africa, Asia and America received significantly more interest from Israel. Nevertheless, the new Israel under MP Netanyahu is willing to make up for its past strategic mistakes by expanding its areas of cooperation. And, India can be its true friend in this respect. As Israel’s observer status in AU hangs in a delicate balance, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may find a strong ally in India. India and Israel currently maintain close political, military, and economic ties. Given Netanyahu’s strong affinity for India, he would strive for opportunities for collaboration and complementarity between the two nations to work in Africa. The majority of African nations have opened their markets and economic spheres to India in industries as diverse and delicate as education and training, defence, security, intelligence, nuclear cooperation, agriculture, technical advancements, health, economy, and finance. Going forward, India and Israel can enable African entrepreneurs to use IoT systems, machine-learning algorithms and drones to spearhead innovation in African farming. Technologies can be shared that will help African farmers to analyse soil, water and plant tissue, providing crucial information to farmers. A stronger relationship with India will help Israeli businesses to have more access to African markets in a number of crucial sectors, including clean and renewable energy, healthcare, agriculture and rural development, vocational/technical education, and entrepreneurship promotion. And after the success of the Abraham Accord and the progress of I2U2, there are possibilities of similar arrangements with African countries involving both Israel and India. PM Netanyahu has great love and respect for India. On a candid discussion, he revealed that he met his future wife in a famous Indian restaurant in Tel Aviv. He and his wife attended the Indian embassy’s 15 August celebrations this year despite being in the midst of a heated election campaign. Netanyahu and the current prime minister of India Narendra Modi have a strong bonding. In 2017, PM Modi became the first-ever Indian premier to visit Israel and celebrated the 25th anniversary of full diplomatic ties. It was hailed as a historic moment by Netanyahu. Unsurprisingly, on 3 November, Prime Minister Modi congratulated Prime Minister Netanyahu and said he looked forward to continuing their cooperative efforts to strengthen the strategic alliance between India and Israel. This collaborative endeavour must include Africa. Efforts to promote sustainable development in Africa can be directed in the correct direction by combining India’s “concerted effort, inclusive growth” philosophy and Israeli innovative conceptual skills. And, therefore, for a better future for Africa, India and Israel must work together. Against the backdrop of waning US influence, Israel, similar to India, seeks to stake its claim on the continent. Despite lacking clear direction, at least since the Netanyahu administration, Africa has begun to receive sufficient attention in Israel’s foreign policy. The catchphrase “Israel is returning to Africa, and Africa is returning to Israel” was actually coined by PM Netanyahu. And going forward Israel would undoubtedly turn to Africa as a strategic bulwark against its unfriendly Islamic neighbours. India and Israel both want African assistance to raise their international standing. Israel’s international isolation will decrease with improved relations with Africa, and Israel would be eager to work with India in Africa. For India, the rapprochement with Israel in Africa will help it to challenge Chinese missions in Africa. And most importantly, this Israel-India cooperation will be very beneficial to Africa, in several aspects. Given the aforementioned, Netanyahu’s homecoming is expected to augur well for the trilateral relationship between India, Israel and Africa, and improve India’s Africa outreach. The author is a Doctoral Scholar at JNU and Research Associate in Vivekananda International Foundation. Views are personal. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. 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