Israel's international relations in Africa.

This article discusses Israel's international relations with Africa from a thematic point of view. It first provides a historical background of the relations from the 1950s onwards and focuses on how they developed and the keenness by Israeli leaders to forge such relations, develop them and nurture them to use them in international forums as stated by Golda Meir in her autobiography. The article then focuses on the last visit of Israeli Netanyahu to east Africa in July 2016 when he toured four countries - Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya and Rwanda - in a bid to “culture” the already existing relations between Israel and these states. The article highlights the view given by Netanyahu towards Africa as a policy theme and the fact the trip had much Israeli businessmen who accompanied him in a bid to generate business and economic relations with each of the countries and the domestic criticism it generated in Israel, most notably from the leader of the Labor Party Issac Herzog who was scathing in his attack on the Likud leader. The visit is then contextualized within Israel's international relations which includes her bid to pressure through such countries as Ethiopia, to be granted an “observer status” in the African Union and the continuing unwillingness against that from South Africa. The final section of the article is on how Israel is having more influence in the United Nations and how also using its relations, through some African countries, to gain influence in the UN and presently lobbying for a non-permanent seat at the Security Council in the coming years and which it is surely going to get because of the continuing support its getting from many states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]