In Uganda, Netanyahu held a summit with leaders of seven African nations in the region aimed at strengthening ties, with Israel providing them with its expertise in security and technology, while receiving in exchange support from new friends that will refrain from criticizing Israeli policies and also provide diplomatic backing in international forums.
The effort comes as Israel’s ties with some of its longtime allies such as the United States and European Union have come under strain recently. Netanyahu’s right-leaning government has drawn sharp criticisms in the United States and Europe over its failure to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians and its continued building of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, land that the Palestinians seek for a future state. [...]
“Netanyahu wants to improve Israel’s standing with these countries in Africa so that at international conferences they will not join the Arab countries in their resolutions against Israel,” said Aryeh Oded, a former Israeli ambassador to Kenya and Swaziland and non-resident ambassador in Zambia, Mauritius, Seychelles, Tanzania and Uganda.
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