Israel in Africa. Yotam Gidron
by Rohan Bolton
Cover design by Jonathan Pelham
Cover photo © Robin Hammond, Panos Pictures
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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978-1-78699-503-2 hb
ISBN 978-1-78699-502-5 pb
ISBN 978-1-78699-504-9 pdf
ISBN 978-1-78699-505-6. epub
ISBN 978-1-78699-506-3 mobi
[A]ll of us are determined to remain outside world conflicts which do not concern us; singly we are too weak to avoid being used by those whose help we need, but together we shall be able to accept aid and investment without endangering our national integrity and independence. It is in this spirit that we are working towards African Unity. We have no desire to isolate our continent from the rest of the world, nor to build an aggressive, hostile continent.
Julius Nyerere to David Ben-Gurion, 22 June 19631
CONTENTS
Tables
Table 3.1African votes in UNGA Resolution 64/10, November 2009
Table 3.2African votes in UNGA Resolution 67/19, November 2012
Table 4.1African votes in UNGA Resolution ES-10/L.22, December 2017
Figures
Figure 3.1Israel’s trade with Africa, 2009–18
Figure 3.2Israel’s top ten trade partners in Africa, 2017
Figure 3.3Top sectors of Israel’s Africa trade, 2017
Figure 3.4Israel’s defence exports to Africa, 2009–18
Figure 5.1Entrances of ‘infiltrators’ to Israel, 2007–18
| AIPAC | American Israel Public Affairs Committee |
| ANC | African National Congress (South Africa) |
| AU | African Union |
| BADEA | Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa |
| BDS | Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions |
| BIR | Rapid Intervention Battalion (Cameroon) |
| CAR | Central African Republic |
| CUFI | Christians United for Israel |
| DEISI | Defend Embrace Invest Support Israel |
| DRC | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| ECOWAS | Economic Community of West African States |
| ELF | Eritrean Liberation Front |
| ICEJ | International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem |
| IDF | Israel Defense Forces |
| IEC | Israel Electric Corporation |
| IMF | International Monetary Fund |
| IRRI | International Refugee Rights Initiative |
| IWI | Israel Weapon Industries |
| MASHAV | Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation |
| MPLA | People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola |
| NGO | nongovernmental organisation |
| OAU | Organisation of African Unity |
| ODA | Official Development Assistance |
| OECD | Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development |
| PFLP | Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine |
| PLO | Palestine Liberation Organization |
| REG | Rwanda Energy Group |
| RSD | Refugee Status Determination |
| SAFI | South African Friends of Israel |
| SAZF | South African Zionist Federation |
| SIBAT | International Defense Cooperation Directorate (Israel) |
| SPLA | Sudan People’s Liberation Army |
| UAE | United Arab Emirates |
| UNESCO | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization |
| UNGA | United Nations General Assembly |
| UNHCR | United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |
| UNITA | National Union for the Total Independence of Angola |
| ZCC | Zion Christian Church |
Israel, north-eastern Africa and the Middle East
Although while writing this book I spent many long days alone in libraries and in front of my laptop in the UK, Israel and Ethiopia, it draws on experiences and insights gained over close to a decade of working, studying, researching and interacting with a great number of people in these countries and others. Any mistakes, intellectual flaws and inaccuracies the following pages include are solely my own, but this book would never have been written if not for the guidance and support of many other individuals.
Among my mentors, colleagues and friends in Israel, I must mention Rami Gudovitch and Orit Marom, who first worked with me and guided me as an activist before and during the expulsion of the South Sudanese community from Israel in 2012, Inbal Ben-Yehuda and Yael Even-Or, who encouraged me to start writing on African and Israeli–African issues, in Hebrew, around that time as well, and Adi Drori-Avraham, who later helped remotely when I was researching Israel’s transfer schemes with Rwanda and Uganda. I am especially grateful for the multiple opportunities I had to learn from and work with the lawyers