Israel and Africa: The Gaza War Chills Israeli-African Relations

Authors:

  • Aron Lund

Publish date: 2024-06-27

Report number: FOI-R--5619--SE

Pages: 62

Written in: Swedish

Keywords:

  • Africa
  • African Union
  • AU
  • diplomacy
  • Gaza
  • Israel
  • Middle East
  • North Africa
  • Palestine
  • South Africa

Abstract

This report studies Israel's role in Africa and how it has been affected by the war that erupted in Gaza in 2023. Historically, Israel's relations with Africa have seen sharp ups and downs. In the 1950s and 1960s, Israel established a substantial presence in Africa, only to see it almost completely erased in the early 1970s, due to the Palestine conflict. Most African nations normalised relations after the Cold War and the start of the peace process in the 1990s. It was only after 2009, however, that Israel again made efforts to win support in Africa. Its position on the continent then improved, but since the start of the war in 2023 Israel has faced harsh criticism in Africa and in the Global South more generally. South Africa has emerged as a particularly influential voice on this issue. Although much depends on the conflict's trajectory, it appears likely that Israel will, over time, be able to resume its relationship-building in Africa. Many of the factors that facilitated deeper ties remain in place, even though the war has forced an interruption. Pockets of rigid resistance are nonetheless likely to remain, including in North Africa and within the AU.